We'll Get Through Anything (Ezria)
by sobia.ezria.pll
Summary: It all starts with an A text telling Aria that she has to break up with Ezra. Ezria fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! This is my first fanfic so please review and I'm welcoming any suggestions. Constructive criticism is appreciated. Will not take anything personally. Enjoy! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pretty Little Liars or any of the characters involved in this story. **

Chapter one:

_"Great boyfriend. It would be a shame if something were to happen to him. I think you know what to do."-_A

Aria Montgomery read those words for what seemed like the millionth time as tears formed in her large, hazel eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

_Please tell me this is just a nightmare_, she thought to herself, although she had always known that A would eventually take away the person who mattered most to her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her ringing cell phone. The caller I.D. read Ezra. Aria pressed ignore. She knew she wouldn't be able to talk to him like this. She needed to think about what she would say to him, how in a few hours, she would shred his heart to bits. The thought of the boyish smile on his face losing its warmth reduced her to tears all over again. Her phone signalled a text.

_"Tick tock, time's flying. Be at his apartment before 7:00 or I will"_-A

Aria looked at the clock. 6:15. She had to leave now if she wanted to be on time. She dialed Spencer's number as she got into her car but it went straight to voicemail.

_I guess I'll have to do this on my own_, she thought to herself, lonliness and panic washing over her as she drove to Ezra's.


	2. Chapter 2

The drive to Ezra's seemed to take seconds, whereas normally Aria couldn't arrive fast enough. She delayed the inevitable by climbing the three flights of stairs rather than taking the elevator but, by the time she stepped in front of apartment 3B, she was no more prepared than when she'd left home.

_This is it, _she thought as she knocked on his door. A few seconds later it opened to reveal the mischievous brown eyes and infectious smile that made her heart skip a beat. Aria longed to run her hands through his soft, brown hair but restrained herself.

"Hey, beautiful." Ezra said, giving Aria a quick peck on the lips before letting her in.

"We need to talk", Aria replied, sounding very serious. Ezra frowned slightly.

"Is everything ok?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

Aria looked up at him and saw love and a need to fix whatever was bothering his girlfriend, deep in his eyes. That was all it took to make her burst into tears.

Ezra wasted no time in pulling her close and stroking her hair, whispering that everything was alright and he was here for her no matter what. His readiness to comfort her at all time was one of the many reason she loved him, and one of the many reasons she hated herself right now.

After a moment, Aria pushed him away. She turned to face him and began the one thing that she knew would make her hate herself and A forever.

"Ezra, I need to say something and before I do, I need you to know that this is not your fault. I just-I can't do this anymore." she stuttered on the last part, trying to hold back the flood of tears she could feel forming in her eyes.

Ezra was silent for a moment, letting the words sink in.

"Aria, I don't understand. What happened? Why are you doing this?"

"I'm so sorry" Aria whispered quickly moving towards the direction of the door before she lost control. Ezra grabbed her arm and refused to let go, no matter how hard she struggled to break free. He gently turned her around to face him, careful not to hurt her.

"Aria, please talk to me. Tell me what's going on. We can get through this, just like everything else. Please don't give up on us." Ezra's voice cracked on the last word, and Aria realized he was trying to hold himself together.

"Ezra, please let me go! You have no idea how hard this is for me to say, but I just can't deal with this anymore. We're never going to be accepted here, I just can't fight a losing battle anymore. It's just not worth it.: The words killed her to say, and she didn't mean any of it, but she knew she had to make him believe her for his own safety.

"How can you say love isn't worth fighting for?! Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't love me. If you can do that, I promise to leave you alone."

Aria was barely able to meet his gaze since she'd first walked in, but she had no choice. What A wanted, A got. Aria looked into Ezra's eyes, trying to force herself to say the words, but they wouldn't dare come out of her mouth.

"I-I can't" she stuttered, after a long moment. "Ezra, I love you so much, more than I could ever express in words, and I will always love you no matter what." She touched his cheek and slowly ran her hand through his hair. He opened his mouth to speak but she shook her head to signal she wasn't finished. "Ezra, this is for the best. Trust me. If you love me, you will let me go, and just forget about me. Promise me."

After what seemed like eternity, Ezra shook his head. "I can't. I won't. I love you and I won't let anything come between us no matter what happens. Aria, whatever it is, we can fix it. As long as we love each other, nothing else matters.

Aria didn't know whether to be happy, angry or scared. This wasn't working. How could she make Ezra let her go. She decided to resort to anger.

"Ezra! Can't you hear me?! I'm done! It's over! If you want me to be happy, just forget about me and leave me alone!" She took advantage of Ezra's shock and stormed out of his apartment before he could stop her. She ran and didn't stop until she got to her car, where she burst into tears. Her phone signaled a new message.

"_Well done. Stay away from him if you want me to do the same"_ - A


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Hi! Don't forget to leave a review. I would love any suggestions or constructive criticism. Anything to help me improve my writing. Enjoy!**

"There was nothing else you could have done. You have to keep A away from Ezra. You did the right thing," Emily said for the twentieth time.

The four best friends were in Aria's bedroom, trying to comfort her. It was an hour after she left Ezra's

"Aria, you're hurting right now, but one day you're going to look back and realize how amazing you are for sacrificing your relationship to keep the love of your life safe." Spencer said, stroking Aria's hair.

"And we're here for you no matter what" Hanna added, wiping her friend's tears.

"Thanks guys, I really appreciate all of you trying to make me feel better but I love him and to see the pain on his face and know that I'm the one causing it is just way too hard to handle." Aria said, trying to stop a new flood of tears from spilling over as she pictured his face when she broke up with him.

"Shh, everything's gonna be okay. We'll find a way to make things work out" Emily said, handing Aria another tissue.

"Thanks Em, but I don't see how we can find a way to keep Ezra and make A back off." Aria sounded defeated as she said this.

"So that's it? You're just going to give up? You have to try Aria...for Ezra's sake." Hanna was worried she might have pushed Aria too hard, but she had to try.

After a few minutes that felt like eternity, Aria slowly nodded her head. "You're right. I need to fight this. A can't keep me away from Ezra. I can't live without him. Let's go win my boyfriend back!" With that, Aria got up and started pacing. "Any ideas?"

Spencer, who had been silent for several minutes, smiled. "I think so."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Spence, I don't know about this...maybe we should come up with a plan B." Aria whispered hesitantly.

"No! You are NOT backing out of this! Not if you want Ezra back. Now GO! Spencer gave Aria a little push forwards.

The two girls were standing in front of Ezra's apartment. Hanna and Caleb were in a car in the parking lot and Emily was in the lobby, waiting between the stairs and elevator. Everyone was in place for their plan.

"Okay, I'll be in from of the elevator. Good luck!" With a quick thumbs up, Spencer headed to her position.

When Spencer was out of sight, Aria knocked on the door to Ezra's apartment.

No answer.

Aria knocked again, louder, worrying Ezra wasn't home.

A moment later, the door opened to reveal a very disheveled Ezra. He looked like he hadn't gotten out of bed in days and his eyes were bloodshot from sleep deprivation. In that moment, Aria truly realized the impact her actions had had on Ezra.

"Aria? What are you doing here?" Ezra said, disbelief and pain in his voice. He stepped aside to let her inside.

Aria took a deep breath. "I came to apologize and to tell you that I was wrong. I can't live without you, Ezra. I need you in my life. You are all I want and I would give anything to have you back in my life. Will you please forgive me?" Aria felt something wet on her face and realized she had tears rolling down her face. _God, I'm such a crybaby!_ She thought, mentally kicking herself. She wiped her eyes hastily as she waited for Ezra to say something.

Finally, Ezra sighed and lifted Aria's head to face him. "Aria, I love you and I always will. Of course I'll forgive you but, I need to know...what made you break up with me in the first place?"

Aria sighed. She had been hoping to avoid that question. But she knew it was inevitable. She had to say something.

"Ezra, I-I can't tell you. Please don't be angry. You will find out, but you're going to have to be patient with me." Aria knew that wasn't what Ezra wanted to hear but if she told him about A, he would be in even more danger.

"Please Aria, tell me so I can help prevent something like this from happening again. Aria, you can tell me anything. I'll be there for you no matter what."

Aria felt a wave of affection wash over her and she slowly leaned in and gave Ezra a kiss. It felt so good to feel the warmth of his body against hers, to run her hands through his soft, brown hair. She had missed him so much. She just wanted to stay like this forever.

BEEP! Aria's phone signaled a text, startling both of them.

"It can wait" Ezra said, pulling her closer.

"No, it might be important. Just give me one minute." Aria reluctantly pulled away and reached into her pocket for her phone, a sense of excitement flooding through her. Could their plan really be working? Her phone said the text was from Spencer. Aria opened the text and almost fainted.

"_Thought you could fool me? Using Caleb to find out if there was any spy equipment in Ezra's apartment, getting the other bitches to guard the entrance and the stairs, while YOU have a nice evening with your loving boyfriend. I'll deal with him later. For now, dear Spencer can pay the price." _-A


	5. Chapter 5

**Hope you're enjoying the story so far. Remember to review. I'm always up for hearing suggestions and constructive criticism. Also, my twitter is sobia_b26 so you can tweet me there. :)**

Chapter 5

Aria called Spencer's phone but it went straight to voicemail. She started pacing back and forth, completely forgetting Ezra's presence.

Ezra walked over and asked what was going on. When Aria didn't respond, Ezra grabbed the phone from her hands. This brought Aria back to the present.

"Ezra, no-" But it was too late. Ezra was reading the message, his face turning pale.

"What's going on? Who's A? And what do they mean by "deal with me later"? Ezra asked, sounding worried and confused.

"Look, I'll explain everything but first, I need to find Spencer. She's in danger and it's all my fault!" Aria dialed Emily's number. A sudden loud bang on the door startled her, and she dropped the phone from her hands.

Ezra cautiously approached the door, shielding Aria from whatever was behind it. He opened the door and Aria screamed.

**This chapter was really short, I know. But I'll try to get the next one up either today or tomorrow. I'll start writing it right now. Don't forget to review :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. To all of you who have reviewed so far, I have read your reviews and I'm smiling so hard my face hurts. I will reply to you as soon as I can but there's a 24-hour wait when you make an account so unfortunately, I can't reply to you until tomorrow. I really appreciate your comments though. And if there's anything that you want to see happen in my story, let me know. I'm welcoming any suggestions. Follow me on twitter sobia_b26. You can comment there too and if you want I can tweet you when I update a new chapter. Just ask. Anyways, enjoy the chapter! :)**

Chapter 6

Aria and Ezra stared in shock at the sight before them. Spencer, her arm covered in blood from a cut that looked deep, was lying unconsciously in front of Ezra's apartment. Her hands tied behind her back and she had a gag on her mouth. She appeared to have a bump on her head that had blood streaming steadily out of it.

"Aria, quick, grab some ice and towels" Ezra said as picked Spencer up carefully and placing her inside his apartment, where he could inspected her wounds. It was times like this that he really appreciated having to learn first aid in order to become a teacher.

Aria came back within a few minutes carrying a ice and several towels. She also brought a bucket of warm water to help clean the blood off Spencer's skin. Suddenly, she realized she had left Emily on the phone a moment earlier. She ran and picked up her phone, where she could hear Emily frantically calling her name.

"Em! It's me. Spencer's hurt. She's inside Ezra's apartment. Can you tell Hanna and Caleb and meet us up here. Quick!" Aria rushed out.

"Oh my God! Aria, I think I just saw A running towards the parking lot" Emily said, panicked.

"Run after them! We can't let them get away! Call Hanna and Caleb and catch A!" Aria practically shouted and Emily hung up.

Next, Aria quickly phoned Wren and told him that Spencer was hurt and gave him Ezra's address.

When she hung up, Aria rushed back to where Ezra was cleaning Spencer's cuts. "Wren said he's on his way. Emily thinks she saw A and she ran after them."

She began to press ice wrapped in a towel on Spencer's swollen forehead. "How bad is her arm?"

"It looks worse than it is. She'll be okay until Wren arrives." Ezra replied, holding a towel to Spencer's arm to try and make the blood stop flowing out.

Emily, Hanna and Caleb burst inside a moment later and immediately stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Spencer. They stood there, speechless for a moment. Aria looked between the three of them, filled with curiosity and dread.

"A escaped before we could catch them." Caleb answered the unspoken question.

Aria's heart sank. A was still out there. He had hurt one of her best friends, and he was after the love of her life. But she couldn't think about this right now as a knock signaled Wren's arrival.

While Wren worked on Spencer with Emily, Caleb and Hanna standing close by to fetch things for him, Aria and Ezra went out to get some painkillers for when Spencer woke up.

They sat silently in the car, and Aria could feel Ezra staring at her. She knew he was going to ask her, and she knew it was time to tell him, but that didn't make her any less scared.

"Aria..." Ezra started hesitently.

"You're right, I think it's time for you to know who A is. It's not fair for me to keep this from you." Aria told Ezra about A, leaving out a lot but mainly just telling him about how A had threatened her and made her break up with him. She figured the less he knew, the better.

"Aria, I'm so sorry you had to go through something like this alone. I'll always be here for you, and we'll find out who A is. Spencer will get better and we'll figure everything out." Ezra said, holding Aria's hand in his.

In that moment, Aria felt better than she had in months. For the first time since she began recieving texts from A, she felt like the world was on her side. Right now, she felt like anything was possible.

So what better time for A to text her right? Because that's exactly what happened. Aria groaned as she checked her phone and saw the text from an unknown number.

"_Can't get rid of me that easily. What happened to Spencer was just a sample of what I'm going to do to your precious boyfriend. Don't say I didn't warn you." _-A

**Don't forget to review! I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of this chapter. :)**

**P.S. I'm thinking of changing the title. Any suggestions?**


	7. Chapter 7

**So this is probably my last review for the night. Hope you're all enjoying it so far. I've gotten some really great reviews and I really appreciate the support. It's only been a day and I've gotten a bunch of review, so for that, you guys rock! Please keep reviewing and please let me know if there's something you want to happen or something you want more/less of. Everything will be taken into consideration. Enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 7

"Ezra..." Aria started hesitantly. They were sitting on the couch in Aria's house. Spencer had woken up a few hours ago and Ezra had insisted she stay in his apartment while she was recovering, not wanted her to have to move around too much. Emily and Hanna were staying with her and promised to let Aria know if they needed anything.

"What is it?" Ezra asked, suddenly worried by her tone.

"I was just thinking...maybe you should get out of here for a while. I mean, we all know what A is capable of, and I don't want anything to happen to you. I'm sorry, it's all my fault you're in this mess and-"

"Aria, stop" Ezra cut her off. "I'm not leaving you alone to deal with A. I'm going to be right here and we're going to face this together. And stop blaming yourself, it's not your fault you're being stalked by a maniac." Ezra said with a tone that indicated this discussion was over. Ezra pulled Aria close and she snuggled into his chest. The truth was, she didn't want him to leave, and she knew it was selfish, but he made her feel safe, like everything was going to be okay. He was the reason she got up every morning.

"I love you" Aria whispered into Ezra's chest as he stroked her hair.

"I love you too." Ezra kissed the top of Aria's head as he rocked her back and forth against his chest. Soon, Aria's breathing evened as she fell asleep in the arms of her love.

Ezra, not wanting to wake Aria, only moved slightly to put a blanket over her small body. Soon, the sound of Aria's rhythmic breathing lulled him to sleep as well.

**IN THE MORNING**

Ezra awoke to the sound of Aria's phone ringing. The caller I.D. said Emily.

"Hey. It's Ezra."

"Hi Ezra, Hanna just brought breakfast, you and Aria should come and join us. Spencer's up too and she's looking a lot better than yesterday. Wren said he'll stop by this afternoon"

"Glad to hear that Spencer's doing better. Don't let her out of bed though. We'll be over in a bit."

Ezra hung up and saw Aria was awake. "Good morning, sweetie." he said with a smile.

"Morning." Aria mumbled groggily, still half asleep. "Who was that?"

"Emily. She said Spencer's feeling a lot better and they're waiting for us for breakfast so we should get moving."

"Mmm-kay." Aria got up and gave Ezra a quick peck on the lips before heading upstairs to brush her teeth and get changed.

**AT EZRA'S APARTMENT**

"Spencer! Don't you dare get up from that bed!" Aria said sternly, before gently nudging her friend back into bed.

"I hate this! I'm fine you guys, really! Besides, how else am I going to help you guys catch A if I can't even get out of bed?" Spencer whined.

"You're going to have to take it easy for now. Leave the A-hunt to us for now. You need to focus on getting better." Aria said with a laugh. Spencer worked way too hard.

"Umm...Aria? Could you come here for a second?" Emily asked, appearing in the doorway.

"Sure. I'll be back, Spence! DON'T move!" Aria gave Spencer a teasing glare and followed Emily into the hall. "What's up, Em?'

"It's Caleb. He found a USB that fell out of A's pocket when we were chasing them. It has a file with a bunch of our secrets on it."

"Oh my God! This is huge!" Aria felt a shudder crawl up her spine as the thought of A storing such important details of their lives onto something as small as a USB.

Emily spoke again, causing Aria to snap out of her thoughts. "That's not the important part though" she continued, talking fast. " There are some files on there that are password protected. Caleb's working on them now, but I'm wondering, why wouldn't A put a password on everything instead of just a few files? What's A's motive?" Emily looked completely terrified now, and Aria gave her a hug to comfort her.

"Let's just wait for Caleb to finish hacking the files and then we'll know everything. Don't worry Em, it'll be ok."

Just then, a flustered looking Caleb ran through the door. "I got it! I got through the password and hacked the files! You'll never guess what I found!"

**What did Caleb find on the files? Leave your guess in the reviews. I wanna hear what you all think. I'll try to post another chapter tomorrow, but it all depends on how much homework I get. Fingers crossed! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hope you're all enjoying the story so far. My goal is to update at least once a day. Let's hope I can stick to it. Enjoy the chapter! :)**

Chapter 8

Everyone was gathered in Ezra's bathroom, waiting for Caleb to tell them what he had found and why he had made them sit in a bathroom.

Caleb looked around "Ok, now before you all get your hopes up, I did not find out who A is."

Aria let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She looked around and saw that everyone else was slightly less excited than they had been before. "So...umm...what did you find?" she asked.

Caleb opened up his laptop, triumphantly. "Come here and I'll show you." Everyone gathered around his computer, trying to see what he was talking about.

"You see, as we suspected, A has planted cameras and speakers in your houses. So, I hacked their locked files and I came up with surveillance videos. With these, we can not only see what A has watched, but we can also figure out where he's got these cameras planted." Caleb clicked on a file and a video of Hanna's kitchen came up. "There's a lot more of these. There's a few in each of your houses, some in this apartment, and there's even a few around school."

Aria shuddered at the thought of A having cameras in her house, and even worse, at Ezra's. Ezra squeezed her hand and she leaned against his strong chest.

"So from what I know, A needs the surveillance equipment to be within 1 mile of the cameras. So that means that A either has a hidout where they keep all the monitors, speakers, and other surveillance equipment, or they have a large van that they keep parked within a mile of all of these places. My guess is a hideout because there's a lot more space and A doesn't want to move the equipment in case he/she gets out of range with even one of the cameras." Caleb said.

"So, if A has to be within a mile of all of our houses and the school, we could probably pin point an area where the A lair is, right?" Spencer asked. You could practically see the gears turning in her head.

"That's what I was thinking. We could check to see what areas are within a mile of all the cameras and narrow our search to there" Caleb said, excited.

"But, wait a minute." Aria said, uneasily. "How do we know A isn't watching us right now? Won't they know what we're planning and move their hideout?"

"Well, no. You see, I went through the surveillance footage and from what I can tell, A doesn't have anything in this bathroom. That's why we're sitting in here." Caleb explained.

"So, what are we going to do about the cameras in our houses? Are we going to get rid of them?" Emily asked.

"No" Ezra started, cutting off whatever Caleb was about to say "I know just what we can do with them" he said, a mischievous smile on his face.

**What is Ezra planning? Leave your guesses in the reviews. Tell me what you think of the chapter :) **


	9. Chapter 9

**So I was only going to post one chapter today, and then I found out I have over 1,000 visits to this story in just 2 days! So, in celebration of that, I'm posting the next chapter. Don't forget to leave your comments and suggestions. Enjoy the chapter! :)**

Chapter 9

"NO! It's too dangerous!" Aria practically yelled at Ezra.

"We have a chance to take A down and you're not going to take it?" Ezra responded, incredulously.

"I'm not going to take that big of a risk! We can't fool A! They're to smart! You don't know A as well as I do, they've been tormenting me for over a year! They KILLED my best friend! They won't hesitate to kill you too!" Aria shrieked.

"Yeah, and I'd rather A killed me than stay away from you. I'm not leaving and that's FINAL!" Ezra said, trying to end the conversation, but Aria wasn't giving up that easily. She would keep him safe no matter what.

"Well, if you're not going to leave, then I have no choice. We're over! I'm not going to let you get hurt because of me." Aria said, tears streaming down her face.

"Aria! You don't have to do this. We love each other and we deserve to be happy. The only way I can be happy is if I'm with you!" Ezra pleaded, trying to make his girlfriend come to her senses.

"NO EZRA! I love you, and I need to know that you're safe. If this is the only way I can do that, then fine. Goodbye Ezra." Aria turned for the door but Ezra blocked her path.

"Let me leave."

"No! You're not going anywhere until you stop and think about this. At least consider my plan. Everyone else thinks it'll work." Ezra stated.

"I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS! THIS IS ALL I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT FOR THE PAST WEEK! I CAN'T EVEN SLEEP AT NIGHT, BECAUSE ALL I EVER DO IS THINK! NOW LET ME GO!" Aria yelled, and pushed a shocked Ezra out of the way. She stormed out of his apartment.

Aria was going towards her car when she felt a vibration in her pocket. A text. From A.

_"Poor little Aria. Relationships are so complicated these days...well, as long as I'm watching. And believe me, I'm always watching" _-A.

"So how did it go?" Spencer asked, as Aria stepped into her car. Emily and Hanna were sitting in the back seat.

"Perfect! A bought it!" Aria replied showing the girls the text. "Now let's go home so I can get ready for my date with Ezra."

**Wow! Aria's a better actress than she looks. Don't forget to leave a review. :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks again to everyone for all the support. Your comments always put a smile on my face. Keep reviewing and leaving comments/suggestion. Also, I started this story 2 days ago and it already has over 1,000 views. That's amazing! Enjoy this chapter! :)**

Chapter 10:

"Your acting was brilliant! I mean, even I almost believed you!" Ezra exclaimed with a laugh. He and Aria were at a restaurant in Philadelphia, celebrating their win against A.

"Well, let's not forget who's plan it was! That was amazing! You're like the male version of Spencer!" Aria laughed as the waiter approached with their meals.

"To a great victory!" Ezra raised his glass and Aria's clinked against his in a toast. They started to eat, but at one point, Aria noticed that Ezra was staring at something over her shoulder, his face pale.

"Ezra...?" Aria turned around to see what had distracted her boyfriend. She spotted the reason for his discomfort sitting a few tables away, talking with two friends. She hadn't seemed to notice the couple yet.

"Umm, I know you were excited for this date but, is it okay if we leave a little early?" Ezra said, staring uneasily at his mother, hoping she wouldn't look up and notice him and Aria.

"Are you sure? Maybe you should just talk to her. I know you're not her biggest fan, but she's your mother..." Aria trailed off. She figured it was no use. Ezra and his mom didn't have the best relationship. Not that Aria was a big fan of Dianne Fitzgerald either. She was a cruel, blunt woman who thought that money was the answer to everything. In fact, last time she'd seen Dianne, she had tried to pay her to break up with Ezra.

"I'm sure. How about we go home, I'll make some popcorn and we can watch a movie?" Ezra asked.

Aria smiled. "Sounds good. Let's go."

After paying the cheque, the couple got up to leave. As they were walking towards the door, Ezra felt a hand on his shoulder. He contemplated whether he should ignore her and keep walking or turn around and face her. He sighed and chose the latter.

"Hello mother." Ezra said, calmly.

"Ezra. I see you're still dating _her_." Dianne said "her" as though she was referring to a mouldy lime she had found in Ezra's fridge.(see what I did there)

"Yes, me and Aria are still together, and that won't be changing anytime soon" Ezra said stiffly, putting his arm protectively around Aria's waist. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we were just leaving." Ezra turned to leave, but stopped when his mother spoke.

"Actually, I'd like to have a word with Aria...alone." Dianne said, looking at Aria the way an animal looked at its prey.

"No! We're leaving, mother. Goodbye." Ezra turned to leave, but Aria grabbed his arm and stopped him. She leaned towards him and whispered. "Can you just wait in the car for a minute. I'll be there in a minute." Ezra looked uneasily at her. "I'll be fine. I'll see you in a minute." Aria insisted. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and he went to wait in the car. Aria turned back to Dianne.

"What do you want?" Aria asked, once Ezra had left.

"Don't talk to me like that." Dianne said, automatically. "I just want you to know that my offer from last time still stands."

"What is wrong with you? Is money all that matters to you? I don't want your money, I have Ezra. He's all that matters to me. Why is that so hard for you to understand? Aria stared at Dianne with disgust.

"I see you're still 'in love'" Dianne said, sarcastically, as though the thought of love itself, was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard. That didn't surprise Aria in the slightest bit. The woman probably didn't even love her own husband before they divorced.

"If you'll excuse me, my boyfriend is waiting for me." Aria walked away, leaving Dianne staring after her, as she went to her car, where Ezra was waiting for her.

**I decided to take a quick break from all of the A drama to remind everyone of the other issues with Ezria. Plus, I've always wanted Aria to stand up to Dianne. Leave your reviews below. I'd love to hear any suggestions from you. :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**I know the last chapter was a little different considering A wasn't really a part of it, but I decided to take a quick break. Hope you enjoyed it though. A will be in this chapter. Don't forget to review. Want to hear your suggestions/feedback.**

Chapter 11:

Aria woke up Sunday morning with Ezra's strong arms wrapped around her. Last night had been amazing. When they had come home from the restaurant, after seeing Ezra's mother, they had watched old movies until their eyes became heavy.

Aria let out a little scream as her phone beeped, scaring the living daylights out of her. Beside her, she could hear Ezra laughing quietly. She looked over and his brown eyes stared back at her as he held her closer to him. She rolled her eyes.

"I would say sorry for waking you up but you clearly don't seem to mind waking up to an opportunity to make fun of me" Aria said, sticking her tongue out at him.

Ezra kissed her nose. "Why would I mind? I live for these moments!" he teased.

Aria rolled her eyes again, and leaned over to pick up her phone. She leaned against Ezra's strong chest as he wrapped his arms around her and opened the text.

"Emily wants to know if we want to go on a double date with her and Paige for lunch. Is that okay with you?" Aria asked, already mentally picking out what she was going to wear.

"Sounds like a plan." Ezra said, as he planted a kiss on her head.

Aria texted Emily back and moved to get up but Ezra just tightened his hold on her. "You know, if I don't get my coffee, all hell will break loose. Are you really sure you want to deprive me of caffeine any longer?" she teased.

"Good point!" Ezra said, letting go with a laugh. He got up to go take a shower, and Aria went to make breakfast. She was flipping pancakes when her phone beeped again. Assuming it was Emily telling her where to meet for their date, Aria checked her text.

"_Double date, huh? Save me a seat."_ -A

Aria groaned. Of course this would happen. Warning bells had gone off in Aria's head when she hadn't received a text at all yesterday. It had to be too good to be true.

Just then, Ezra came out of the shower. He saw Aria staring at her phone, frowning and a feeling of dread washed over him. "What does it say?" he asked quietly.

Aria stifled a scream and gripped the counter as she noticed that Ezra had come out of the shower. "Oh Ezra, it's just you." She said, a hand over her rapidly beating heart.

"Why are you so jumpy?" Ezra said, frowning and wrapping his arms around her.

"It's just that, yesterday we didn't get any texts from A, which kind of put me on edge. But now..."she trailed off, holding her phone for Ezra to see.

"Well, I guess there go our plans." Ezra said with a sigh.

"This sucks. I hate how A can control our every action" Aria said sadly, texting Emily that they couldn't make it after all.

Ezra frowned for a moment. "Aria?"

"What is it?" Aria asked, worriedly.

"Let's go out for a minute. There's something I wanted to show you." Ezra opened the door and waited for Aria to join him. Once they were in the hall, Ezra shut the door. "What if we were to "_accidently_"break the camera that A planted in my apartment. I mean, I'm sure it's been planted on a piece of furniture, and judging by the footage Caleb showed us, I think it's on my lap. So what if I were to bump into the lamp and it fell and broke. I would have no choice but to throw it out, right?" Ezra explained, as a smile formed on Aria's lips.

"You, Mr. Fitz, are a genius." Aria said, leaning forward to kiss him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he put his hands on her back, kissing her back.

"Well, thank you Miss Montgomery" He mumbled against her lips.

"Get a room!" they heard someone shout across the hall and turned to see Spencer and Hanna grinning at them. Ezra face turned red in embarrassment but Aria just laughed at her friend.

"You know what I love most about you, Han?" Aria asked with a sweet smile.

"What might that be? My looks, my fashion sense, my sense of humour..." Hanna said, playing along.

"You're level of maturity." Aria said with a laugh, letting go of Ezra to hug her best friend. "Hey Han, do us a favour? You know how sometimes you can be really _"clumsy"_? Can you "accidently" knock over that really ugly, green lamp, sitting on Ezra's table?"

"Ugly? I picked that lamp out myself!" Ezra complained. Aria silenced him with another kiss.

"Wait, why do you want Hanna to knock it over?" Spencer asked, confused.

"We think A planted a camera on it. And we figured, one less camera won't be too suspicious." Aria explained.

"Okay, let's go break a lamp." Hanna grinned and walked into the apartment.

Once they were inside, they acted as though nothing had happened. "So ladies, want to stay for breakfast? I'm making pancakes, and there's fresh coffee." Aria proposed.

"Sure!" Spencer said as soon as she heard the word coffee.

"Definitely! Your pancakes are to DIE FOR!" Hanna exclaimed. "I actually brought you something, it's in my purse, by the couch." She got up to get it, and bumped into a table along the way, knocking over Ezra's favourite lamp, and, more importantly, the camera that A had set up. Hanna winked as she gasped in shock and began to apologize to Ezra.

"I am SO SORRY!" Hanna said, using all her will power to control the laughter threatening to escape her.

"No worries, Hanna, I've been meaning to buy another one. Aria doesn't seem to like this one." Ezra said, winking at Aria. . She and Spencer couldn't hold back their laughter so they ran to the bathroom, mumbling something about fixing their hair.

"What about this one?" Aria asked, holding up a small golden lamp. She had spent the last hour looking at EVERY single lamp, trying to find her favourite.

Ezra yawned. "Yeah, sure. Now let's get out of here. I'll die of boredom if I have to stay any longer. They quickly paid for their lamp and left the shop. They stopped for some hot chocolate and settled into a booth. Ezra took a sip of his hot chocolate as he felt his pocket vibrate. He took out his phone and saw an unknown number.

_"Nothing can ruin a relaxing day of shopping and hot chocolate. Oh wait, except for me. I'm coming for you." _-A

**Uh-oh. You know things are bad when Ezra starts getting texts. If you're planning to leave a review, please answer the following questions. It would help me out a lot:**

**1) What do you think will happen next chapter? Any theories, even if they're wild and unlikely.**

**2) Anything you didn't like in the story. Could be the smallest thing, like how I spell certain words or something big like, parts of the story. Anything!**

**3) Should I do random chapters like the previous one, where there's a small break from the A drama, but there's still problems with Ezria?**

**Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy the rest of the story! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hope you're all enjoying the story so far. I have been trying to post a new chapter each day but I'm wondering, would it be better for me to post a new chapter every few days so that everyone can keep up? Or do you prefer that I post a chapter each day? Let me know in the reviews as well as any suggestions or comments. I love reading what you have to say. Enjoy the chapter! :)**

Chapter 12:

"Could you excuse me for just a second? I'm just going to run to the bathroom." Ezra got up and left Aria with their hot chocolate. He walked quickly to the bathroom and dialed Spencer's number.

"Hello?"

"Spencer! It's Ezra! I need your help, but you have to promise me you won't say a word to Aria." Ezra said in a rush.

"Umm...You know she's my best friend, right? What's wrong?" Spencer asked, starting to sound worried.

"Promise you won't say a word?" Ezra insisted.

Spencer was silent for a moment. For a second Ezra thought she had hung up, but then she said "Okay. I won't say a word. Now spill."

Ezra explained the text from A to Spencer. He also explained why she couldn't tell Aria. If Aria knew Ezra was getting texts from A, she would insist on him leaving, or worse, break up with him to keep him safe. He wanted to be there for Aria, to protect her, even if it meant he would be in danger. He couldn't stand to let Aria go through this alone.

"Okay, I won't tell say a word to her...if you promise me something too."

"What?" Ezra asked, not liking where this was going.

"You have to promise to tell me before you do anything. I don't want you doing anything stupid and getting yourself into a dangerous situation all because you want to protect Aria, okay?" Spencer said.

"Okay but on one condition. If Aria is put into a dangerous situation in which I can help her, I will. But I won't purposely throw myself headfirst into a situation if I don't have to." Ezra reasoned.

"Deal! Oh, and Ezra?"

"Yes?"

"Aria's going to kill you if she finds out you're keeping this from her. I just want you to know that before you make your decision." Spencer said. "But I can see where you're coming from. Good luck!" Spencer hung up. After splashing water on his face, Ezra went back to where Aria was sitting, her cup of hot chocolate empty.

"Ready for more adventure?" he asked.

"Lead the way." Aria smiled and took his hand.

"Hey, what do you want for dinner?" Aria asked, turning to Ezra. They were seated on his couch, Aria doing her homework, Ezra reading a book.

"How about I cook tonight? You have a crapload of homework and I promise I won't poison you. I think I've gotten spaghetti down." Ezra said with a smile.

"I don't know...I'm too young to die." Aria teased. They both knew that letting Ezra into a kitchen was just asking for a disaster. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

"HA-HA, you're so hillarious I totally forgot to laugh." Ezra mock-glared at her as he got up to get started on dinner.

"Just tell me if you need any help from the master." Aria said with a laugh. She felt her phone vibrating in her pocket and checked it. Unknown number. Why was it that whenever Aria managed to forget about A for a second, she ended up getting a text. She checked it:

_"The Grille. Midnight. Come alone. Don't be late"_ -A

Aria looked over at Ezra, who was looking at her, his expression grim. "It's okay, it's just Hanna. She's wondering if I can sleep over later to help her pick out an outfit for her date with Caleb. But it's okay, I'll go after dinner. Wouldn't want to miss out on what my amazing personal chef is cooking" she teased.

"Just you watch. One day, I'll be a better cook than you!" Ezra shot back.

"Ok chef Fitz. Then please, elighten me. What this called?" Aria asked holding up a colander.

"Umm.. the drain thingy..." Ezra said, with a goofy smile.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you...CHEF OF THE YEAR!" Aria said, holding the wooden spoon as a microphone.

"You're hillarious!" Ezra said. He took a bit of Spaghetti sauce and put it on Aria's nose. "Take that!" He said as he ran away, Aria chasing after him with a handful of spaghetti noodles. Pretty soon, they (and the kitchen) were covered head to toe in their dinner.

"So...let's order a pizza?" Ezra asked, as they started to clean the kitchen.

"Sounds good." Aria laughed. "Now, I'll let you clean this place up while I go take a shower. I need to be at Hanna's by 11 so...have fun!" With that, Aria blew a kiss to an open-mouthed Ezra and ran off to the bathroon, leaving her boyfriend to clean up the big spaghetti-covered kitchen.

**LATER:**

Aria pulled up to the Apple Rose Grille at approximately midnight. She got out of the car and walked up to the main entrance.

_Maybe I should've told Ezra where I was going. Or atleast one of the girls. This is probably a bad idea._ Aria was so consumed in her thoughts, she didn't hear a dark hooded figure coming behind her. They grabbed her and held a hand over her mouth to stifle her screams as they carried her into a car parked behind the Grille.

**Moral of the chapter: Never meet your stalker in a place without witnesses in the middle of the night without telling your boyfriend or best friends. lol. What's going to happen to Aria? Will Ezra and the girls get to her before it's too late? Wait till the next chapter to find out. Leave your reviews/comments below. :) **

**P.S. I've been trying to write longer chapters (This one and the last one.) So i was just wonder if I should stick with short chapters or if you prefer chapter that are longer, like these? Let me know in the reviews! :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi! So, I'm hoping you're all liking the story so far. I'm thinking that I should start posting a new chapter every few days in order to let people who fall behind catch up. So I'll probably post a new chapter every 2-3 days. (Unless I get a lot of reviews asking me to post chapter sooner, in which case I'll try to post quickly). Anyways, enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 13:

Aria awoke with a sharp pain in her head. She reached up to feel the throbbing area, but her hands seemed to be stuck. Confused, she looked down and saw her hands were tied to a chair. She looked up and saw she was in an empty room. Her momentary confusion turned to complete panic and fear as she recalled the events of the past hour. Going to the Grille, getting carried into a car against her will, a sharp pain in her head...

"Hello? Who's there?" Aria called as she heard distant footsteps. She looked around, trying to see anyone in the dimly lit room, but she couldn't turn around because she was tied to the chair. A moment later a figure appeared in front of her.

"Hello, Aria."

**Ezra's POV:**

Ezra was just getting ready for bed when he realized Aria had forgotten her cell phone in her rush to get to Hanna's house. He called Hanna so that Aria would know that her phone was safe. He could already picture Aria freaking out, wondering where she'd put her phone. She had a way of worrying herself into an all-out panic attack.

"Hello?" Hanna answered on the second ring.

"Hey Hanna! It's Ezra. Could you tell Aria that she forgot her phone at my place?" Ezra asked.

"Aria? Isn't she with you?" Hanna asked, confused.

"No...she's not with you?" Ezra asked, a feeling of panic starting to work its way into his head.

"No. Should she be?" Hanna asked, sounding worried.

"Yeah...didn't you text her, asking if she would stay at your place tonight?" Ezra asked, already knowing what Hanna would say.

"I didn't.-Oh my God! You don't think...?" Hanna trailed off, panicked.

"Only one way to find out." Ezra said grimly. "Hold on just a second, I'll check Aria's phone." He scrolled through her messages and came across a text from A that was received around the time that Aria had said Hanna texted. Ezra read it really quickly. "Hanna, meet me at the Apple Rose Grille, and call Spencer, Emily and Caleb. Aria was supposed to meet A there at midnight."

"I'll be there in five minutes." Hanna answered, hanging up. Ezra grabbed his keys, his and Aria's cell phone and raced to the Apple Rose Grille. When he arrived, four figures were standing in the parking lot. Everyone was here.

Hanna ran to Ezra. "We've looked everywhere. Aria isn't here."

**Aria's POV:**

"Wh-Who's there?" Aria stammered, mentally kicking herself for letting her voice show that she was scared.

"Relax, I'm just here with dinner. I'm not going to hurt you just yet." answered a face behind a voice-changing mask.

"What do you want from me? What did I even do to you?" Aria asked, on the verge of tears.

"Are you REALLY asking me that?! You've ruined my life! Everything was perfect until you and your four friends, Spencer, Emily, Hanna and Allison started hanging out. Your friend, Allison, made my life a living hell!" A answered angrily.

"Join the club." Aria mumbled under her breath. The truth was, although she loved Allison, there had always been a part of her that regretted ever being her friend. Ali was a bully-No, she was worse than a bully. She was manipulative, and she was willing to do anything to get what she wanted. She would even stab her own friends in the back if it meant getting something. She blackmailed them with their deepest darkest secrets, just so she could have some entertainment.

"Eat your dinner. I'll be back in the morning. Don't even think about trying anything stupid, we have cameras everywhere, and you and your friends should know better than anyone else that you can't hide from me." A said, menacingly as he/she cut one of Aria's hands free so she could eat. Aria could hear the locks sliding shut behind her.

For hours after A left, Aria was trying to undo the knots around her other arm, her legs and her chest, but they were tied expertly, and she couldn't do anything. Finally, after her hands became sore and even started to bleed she gave up. She ate her dinner, a turkey sandwich, but couldn't even think about sleeping at a time like this. So she sat there, thinking about what would happen to her, if she would ever be freed, if she'd ever see her friends again. But mostly, she wondered if she would ever see Ezra again, feel his strong, protective arms around her, see that boyish smile that made her heart leap, those big, brown eyes that she could stare into for hours. What was he doing right now? Did he know what was happening to her? There was no way. He thought she was spending the night at Hanna's and Hanna would obviously think she was with Ezra. She really wished she had told someone, ANYONE, where she was going. Aria continued to sit there and think. She didn't sleep at all that night.

**Ezra's POV:**

Once Hanna had told him Aria wasn't there, Ezra's thoughts lost complete control. He still blamed himself for not noticing what was going on, but he was trying to push those thoughts to one side while he tried to figure out how to find Aria.

"OH MY GOD!" Ezra exclaimed.

**What got Ezra so excited? Did he see something? Did he think of something? Did he hear something? Leave your guesses as to what's going to happen in the next chapter. Would love to hear your suggestions/comments. :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi! Enjoy the chapter! Don't forget to review :)**

Chapter 14:

Everyone stared at Ezra with a mixture of confusion and fear.

"Ezra...?" Spencer prompted.

"Why didn't I think of this sooner! Caleb! The cameras!" Ezra looked at the teenager with wide eyes.

"What about them?" Caleb asked, looking slightly uncomfortable at being put on the spot.

"You said that you could probably figure out where A's headquarters are using the cameras right?" Ezra asked.

Realization dawned on Caleb. "OF COURSE! How did I know think of that! Come on!" Caleb ran to his car and everyone piled in, while Caleb pulled out his laptop and started typing furiously. After a few moments, he looked up in frustration. "No wi-fi. We need a place with Internet."

"I'll drive." Ezra switched seats with Caleb and started driving towards his apartment, while Caleb looked through A's USB, looking for anything to lead them to Aria.

**Aria:**

"Are you ever going to let me go?" Aria asked, as her captor came into the freezing cold room she was being held in. It might as well have been a freezer, Aria could even see her own breath. Her bare arms were numb with the cold.

"Do you really want an answer to that?" A responded.

Aria sighed. "I guess not...what are you going to do with me?" she asked, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

"You ask a lot of questions" A replied.

"I think they're pretty valid questions considering I've been tied to a chair for God knows how long!" Aria replied, angrily. She felt a sharp sting on her cold cheek. A had just hit her!

"Shut up, you little bitch. And chill with the attitude if you want to get out here alive." A said, furiously and stormed out of the room. Aria started to cry in pain and in fear.

**Ezra:**

"Anything yet?" Ezra asked, impatiently. He had dropped Caleb off and was driving in his car, hoping to find anything that could lead him to Aria.

"Not yet, but I'm about to make a break-through, I can feel it. Just keep driving for a bit, I can figure this out" Caleb had found photos of A's lair in the USB and was trying to figure out where they could be from. He, Hanna and Emily were on their laptops looking through apartment around Rosewood, trying to find a building that had any similar interior, but had come up empty so far. Ezra and Spencer had been driving around Rosewood for hours, only stopping to get coffee in order to stay awake.

Ezra continued to drive around, when he got a text. Unknown number. He quickly pulled over and opened it.

_"Maybe this will teach you and your friends not to mess with me. Let's hope Aria can stand the cold, at least she doesn't have hypothermia...yet." _ -A

"Oh no!" Ezra said, putting his head in his hands and just sitting there for a moment, letting this all sink in. After a moment, his head shot up, eyes wide, realizing what A had just told him. He dialed Caleb's number.

"Look for apartment with places that have their own separate air conditioning in each room." Most apartment usually had one air conditioner for the entire apartment, but A would've bought one with different temperatures in each room. A wouldn't dare leave Aria all by herself in an apartment in case she escaped or someone came for her.

"I'm on it." Caleb said. A moment later, he spoke again. " Okay, I've got three locations. You take one, I'll tell one to Spencer and I'll go to the third." He listed the addresses and told Ezra where to go. "If you find Aria or anything to lead us to her, call me right away. Don't go in A's lair by yourself. Got it?"

"Fine." Ezra hung up and headed to the apartment, where hopefully he would find his love.

**Aria:**

Aria had been crying all throughout the day, begging for a sweater or a blanket, anything to keep her warm. A never responded, unless to come inside and tell her to shut up, or to hit her. She could already feel bruises on her stomach and her legs from the punches and kicks she'd received for begging and crying.

"Okay, this is the last time I'm going to tell you to shut up. If you don't just keep in mind that I know where your dear boyfriend lives." A said, cruelly. Aria immediately bit her lip, trying to silence herself. She couldn't let this monster get anywhere near Ezra. She had to keep him safe, even if it meant dying.

**Ezra:**

I had just arrived at some place called the Lost Woods Resort, which was basically an old motel in the middle of nowhere. I ran inside, where a creepy-looking guy whose name tag said _Harold_ was standing behind a desk.

"Are you here to book a room?" he asked, hopefully.

"Actually, I was wondering if any of your rooms were already booked right now?" Ezra inquired, trying to remain calm and not yell to the man to give him Aria.

"I'm sorry sir but that is classified information. Now, would you like a room?" the man responded pleasantly.

"Look, this is really important. I NEED to know if anyone else is here." Ezra said, starting to lose his patience.

"Sir, when people come to the Lost Woods Resort, they don't want to be find. So if you're here to book a room that's fine, if not, I'm going to have to politely ask you to leave." Harold said, and Ezra wanted nothing more than to wipe the smile off his face.

Something over the man's shoulder, caught Ezra's eye. It was a rack with different room keys. The keys to room #1 were missing. "Fine, is room #2 available?" Ezra inquired.

"Yes, it is. Please sign your name here." Harold gave Ezra a book and pointed to an empty slot. While Ezra wrote down the name _William Hemming, Harold retrieved his room key. _

"Have a pleasant day and let me know if you need anything." Harold said, politely.

Ezra walked to his room, passing by room #1. The blinds were shut so Ezra couldn't see inside. He went to his room and his phone rang as soon as he entered.

"Hello?" Ezra answered.

"It's Caleb. Aria's not at our hotel, nor is she at Spencer. Are you at the Lost Woods yet?" Caleb asked.

"I just got here. I'm in room #2 and there's only one other room that's in use right now. I can't see inside, but I'm going to check it out." Ezra responded, hoping that Aria was in there, and that she was okay.

"We're on our way over, we'll see you in about twenty minutes. Stay in your room." Caleb said.

"Okay. I'll be here." Ezra answered, wanting more than anything to check out room #1, but knowing Caleb was right.

Suddenly, Ezra heard a sound coming from outside. He opened his door and heard a girl screaming in pain. He was sure it was Aria.

**Aria:**

****Aria was screaming. A had just kicked her in the stomach. She thought she might die right then. She knew it wouldn't be long, she was already so cold, she'd lost all feeling from her waist down.

"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!" A growled.

Aria tried to hold back her sobs, but she was in too much pain. "Please! Please, just let me go! I promise, I won't try to come after you, or tell my friends anything. Just please, let me go!" she begged.

A punched her in the mouth. She could taste blood on her lip. "Speak again, and I'll hit you even harder." A said in a quiet voice that scared Aria more than anything. She bit back her screams and tried to stop crying. In a few moments, she was silent.

**Ezra:**

****Ezra couldn't keep his promise to stay. He sent a quick text to Caleb, telling him that he heard Aria and was going to investigate room #1 and left. He ran to the room and tried the know. Locked. Frustrated, Ezra kicked the door several times, until it broke open. He ran inside and stopped dead at the sight before him.

**Uh-oh. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next one will hopefully be up in a few days. Leave your reviews. :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hope you're enjoying the story. Don't forget to review :)**

Chapter 15:

_Aria_. The name froze on Ezra's lips at the sight before him. Tied to a chair, bloody and bruised was the love of his life. He started to step forward. Aria, catching a movement from in front of her, squinted and held back a gasp as she noticed her boyfriend. They stared into each others eyes for a moment, and Ezra could see all the fear and longing in Aria's eyes. He started to move closer to her, but she shook her head, ever so slightly and looked to the right, indicating there was someone there.

Ezra looked over and noticed a silhouette to Aria's right, who he figured was obviously A. The figure seemed to be moving towards Ezra. He quickly crouched under a desk.

"I'll be back in the morning." A said, in what sounded like a robotic voice. Ezra realized it was a voice changer.

A stepped outside and shut the door. Ezra counted to ten before coming out, just to be sure, and ran to Aria.

"Aria!" Ezra quickly worked on untying her hands and feet, with difficulty.

"Ezra." Aria said weakly. "Cold."

Ezra hurriedly took off his jacket and wrapped it around her. He took his sweater and wrapped it on her legs. "Everything's going to be okay. I promise." He said, focusing on the ropes again.

Just then, they heard someone approaching. Ezra, thinking it was A, grabbed a stick from nearby and hid behind the desk again. Someone walked in, and Ezra raised the stick to smack them over the head.

"Wait!" the familliar voice called. "It's us!"

"Spencer! God, I was about to hit you." Ezra exhaled in relief.

"Where is-Oh my God! Aria!" Spencer and the girls ran towards Aria, who appeared to be unconscious, and started pulling at the ropes.

"I think I have a pocket knife." Caleb said, rummaging through his pockets and locating it. He tossed it to Hanna and the girls started cutting the ropes. Ezra ran pver and wrapped his arms around Aria, trying to keep her warm. He had heard that when someone was suffering from intense cold, to use body heat to try and warm them up.

Caleb, realizing what he was doing, wrapped his arms around Aria as well and put his hat on her head, which was hanging limply. The girls finished the last of the ropes and Ezra picked Aria up, as they all raced towards their cars. Hanna and Emily went in Ezra's car, Hanna driving, while Ezra and Emily wrapped blankets around Aria, trying to keep her warm. Everyone had taken off their jackets and scarves to use as well.

_Please let her be okay._ Ezra thought all the way to the hospital.

**AT THE HOSPITAL:**

Ezra was pacing around the waiting room, waiting for the doctor to come out. It was 5:00 in the morning, they had been waiting for two hours.

"I'm going to grab some coffee." Spencer said, needing something to do to stop her thoughts from driving her insane.

"I'll go with you." Emily said and the girls hurried away.

Hanna was sitting beside Caleb, head on his shoulder, sniffling quietly.

Suddenly, the doctor came out. "Ezra Fitz?" he called.

Ezra rushed over, Caleb and Hanna close behind him. "That's me. Is Aria okay?"

"She'll live but I don't know if okay can be used to describe her. She has a cracked rib, her arm appears to be broken, and she has a mild head injury. We've given her some medication that should help with the head injury, the nurse is currently wrapping her arm in a sling, and her ribs will heal over time. She doesn't seem to have hypothermia but we're currently running some tests just to be sure. If everything goes well, she'll be able to leave the hospital after three days."

"Can I go see her?" Ezra asked.

"She's awake right now. I'll take you to her room." Ezra followed the doctor to Aria's room. She lay in bed, eyes closed. Ezra gasped slightly. The dim lighting in the hotel room had made it hard to notice before, but Ezra could see bruises all over Aria. She had a swollen lip, bruises on her cheeks, her arms.

Aria's eyes fluttered open when she heard Ezra's gasp, and she smiled weakly up at him. "Hey."

Ezra slowly walked over to her, and sat down on the edge of her bed. "How are you feeling?" he asked softly, holding her hand in his.

"Everything hurts, but at least it's not cold anymore." Aria said, shifting slightly, and then wincing in pain.

"Everything's going to be okay." Ezra promised. "Now get some rest." he said, starting to get up.

"Ezra, wait. Don't leave." Aria pleaded.

"I'll be right here. I promise." Ezra bent down to kiss her but stopped, seeing her swollen lip, and pulled back slightly. Aria leaned forward, not caring about the pain and kissed him anyway, but immediately moaned in pain.

"Aria? Are you okay?" Ezra was overcome with guilt. He started to back up to call the doctor but Aria held out a hand and stopped him.

"I'm fine. Really." She insisted. "Please, just stay here." She held his arm tightly.

"I'm not going anywhere." Ezra promised, pulling up a chair. They sat there, hands intertwined, as Aria drifted off to sleep.

**LATER:**

The girls and Caleb quietly walked in, seeing Aria was asleep and handing Ezra some coffee.

"Oh my God!" Spencer and Hanna whispered together, seeing the bruises on Aria's face.

"Is she okay?" Emily asked.

Ezra nodded. "The doctor said she has a broken arm, cracked rib and a head injury. They don't think she has hypothermia or frostbite but they're doing some tests to make sure. The doctor says she can probably leave in a few days."

Just then, a nurse walked in. "Visiting hours are over. You're more than welcome to return in..." She checked her watch. "4 hours."

Ezra looked hesitantly at Aria. He really didn't want to leave her alone for even a minute. "Is there any way I could stay with her? Please?"

The nurse looked at him, and at his hands, which held Aria's unbroken hand. She sighed, clearly not wanting to be the one to separate them. "I'm sorry. But it's not my choice. You're more than welcome to sit in the waiting room, and we can let you know when you can come back."

Ezra gently let go of Aria's hand, trying not to wake her. He bent over and kissed the little bit of her forehead that wasn't bruised and went to the waiting room, the others trailing behind him.

_"Beep! Ping! Bleep! Buzz!"_ All five looked down at their phones, knowing who it was already.

_"Don't mess with me or you'll end up like Aria." -_A

**Leave it to A to add insult to injury. Did you like the chapter? PM or review me with suggestions/feedback. :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Special thanks to ****LAXGRL4EVA, who gave me an idea for this chapter.** Enjoy the chapter! Leave your reviews/suggestions :)

Chapter 16:

"Ezra, maybe you should get some rest." Spencer said, gently.

Ezra shook his head. " No, I'm fine. You go ahead, I'll call you when they let visitors in."

Spencer hesitated. "You can't live on coffee forever, trust me, I've tried."

"It's okay, I'm fine, really. I'll go to sleep after I see Aria." Ezra insisted.

"Fine. Text me when we can come back" Spencer said, leaving.

Ezra sat there, waiting. He checked his watch. Only 2 hours to go. Slowly, he drifted off to sleep.

**MEANWHILE...**

Had Ezra stayed awake, he probably would've seen a hooded figure entering Aria's room, where she lay asleep as well. The figure walked up to her bed very quietly, and stopped in front of her bed, rummaging inside his/her pockets. Silently, they pulled out a tiny glass bottle, containing a substance that was far from deadly, but would cause Aria much more pain, and slow her healing process.

Slowly and carefully, A slipped the liquid into Aria's IV drip and exited quietly, slipping through the hallways and the elevator, making it outside without being noticed by anyone.

**2 hours Later:**

"Mr. Fitz?" The nurse from last night was gently shaking him.

"Hmm? What?" Ezra asked, disoriented.

"I don't know how to tell you this but..." the nurse started, grimly.

That woke Ezra up. "What? What's wrong with her?" he asked, fearing the worst.

"It appears...someone may have broken into her room and added something to her IV drip. She's in a lot of pain, but she'll live. The doctor just replaced her IV drip, and I promise you that we will post a security guard outside her room at all times from this point on." the nurse said.

"Can I go to her? Please?" Ezra asked, wanting to be there for her, no matter how hard it would be to see her in pain.

The nurse nodded, and he hurried to Aria's room. When he walked in, his heart almost stopped. Lying in her bed, moaning in pain, was Aria, her eyes shut tight as she squeezed her pillow.

"Aria!" Ezra ran to her side, pulling her into his arms and stroking her hair. Aria continued to moan, tears falling down her face.

"E-Ezra! It hurts!" whispered Aria, barely able to speak from the pain.

"I know, it's okay, I'm here. It'll all go away soon." Ezra tried to soothe her, but he was terrified, and tears were threatening to spill out of his eyes. He wished, more than anything, that he could take her pain away, even if it meant that he would have to go through it.

Ezra looked desperately at the doctor. "Isn't there anything you can do to stop the pain?!" he almost yelled.

"I'm sorry, but we need to wait at least an hour before giving her anything. If we give her painkillers now, they could mix with the substance that's been put into her bloodstream, and that could be very harmful for the patient." the doctor replied, looking at Aria sadly.

Ezra sat there, continuing to hold Aria as she screamed and moaned in pain, stroking her hair and trying to soothe her. He felt a vibration in his pocket, and, at first he was going to ignore it, but then realized who it was probably from. He reached into his pocket, and took out his phone, his face turning pale.

_"This is just a sample of what I can do." _-A

Ezra's despair turned into rage. He sent a quick text to Caleb and the girls, telling them to meet him at the hospital, ASAP.

"Ezra...please...make it stop!" Aria cried out, her hands gripping his arms so tight, it hurt.

"I will. I promise." Ezra said, and he meant it. He was going to take A down, no matter what.


	17. Chapter 17

**Enjoy the chapter! Review and PM any suggestions for future chapters! :)**

Chapter 17:

"OH MY GOD!" Hanna and Emily shrieked, as Caleb and Spencer just stared at Ezra, shocked. He had just told them about A putting something in Aria's IV drip.

"Aria was supposed to be able to leave by tomorrow afternoon, but now the doctor's are keeping her for at least another week." Ezra said, sadly.

"Have they given her any medication?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, they just gave her some painkillers. They couldn't give her anything before, in case there were side-effects with the substance from the IV drip." Ezra replied.

"Have they checked the surveillance footage?" Caleb asked.

"Yeah, someone tampered with it, so the videos aren't working properly." Ezra replied.

"Do you think they'll mind if I have a look?" he asked, wanting to help in any way.

"I don't know, you can ask them." Ezra replied and Caleb went off to talk to the security guards.

"So what are we going to do?" Hanna asked. "We can't just let A get away with hurting Aria. We need to do something about this."

"Like what?" Emily asked. Everyone looked expectantly at Hanna, who bit her lip in thought. A few silent minutes later, her lips started to curl upwards in a smile.

"She's got something!" Spencer said. "What are you thinking, Han?"

"Well, we know that A is trying to inflict as much pain on Aria right now...", Hanna started, her smile getting bigger as a plan formulated in her head.

"So...?" Emily said, not following.

"So, we use that to our advantage!" Hanna exclaimed.

**ARIA'S ROOM:**

Aria lay in her hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. The pain had started to fade as the painkillers worked their magic, but it wasn't gone. She could still feel the sharp pain in her body unless she moved very, very slowly. She lay there, waiting for Ezra, who had gone down to the cafeteria to grab something to eat.

Aria heard the door open and looked up, expecting to see Ezra. But when she looked up she saw the last person on Earth she expected to visit her at the hospital. Standing before her was Dianne Fitzgerald. Ezra's mom.

"Hello Aria." Dianne said, walking over to her bed. Aria just stared at her.

"How are you feeling?" she tried again.

"Better...what are you doing here?" Aria asked, slowly sitting up.

"I heard you were hurt, so I came to see you." Dianne said, simply. But Aria wasn't stupid, she knew there was another motive for the woman's presence.

"Look, not to be rude, but we both know that not why you're here. Could you please just get to the point?" Aria said, impatiently.

"Fine. I was wondering if you were reconsidering my offer from before." Dianne said.

Aria looked at her incredulously. "Are you serious? I thought I made it clear last time that I can't be bought. I love Ezra, and no amount of money can change that."

"Look, you little twerp! I'm not going to stand by and let you ruin Ezra's life! I'm his mother!" Dianne said, angrily.

"How can you even call yourself that? Your son HATES you! He was miserable before he left. He doesn't want ANYTHING to do with you!" Aria let out all her anger and frustration, not even realizing she was capable of such blunt rudeness. She didn't even care right now, she just really wanted Dianne to leave.

Mrs. Fitzgerald stared at Aria for a moment, shocked. Then her hand flew up and slapped Aria across the face so hard that she fell back into her bed.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

Dianne, surprised, spun around to see Ezra glaring at her, his face twisted in rage. "Ezra..." she started, looking between him and Aria, who lay in her bed, moaning in pain, not even noticing Ezra's presence.

"Get out. Now." Ezra said, quietly.

"Ezra, you have no right to talk to me like-"

"NO! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO HURT ARIA! I LOVE HER! And if you can't deal with that, then I don't want to have anything to do with you." Ezra turned and held the door open, daring his mother to speak.

Dianne, shaking her head, walked to the door, but stopped on her way out. "Mark my words Ezra. She will ruin your life." And with that, she stormed out of the hospital.

Ezra quickly went to Aria's side and held her close to him. "Shhh. She's gone and I won't let her come back. Everything's going to be okay." he whispered to her, rocking her back and forth, as she sobbed into his shirt.

"She's r-right." Aria stuttered, sobbing. "I'm the reason you couldn't work at Rosewood High. I'm the reason you were fired from Hollis. I'm the reason-"

"Aria, stop." Ezra said, firmly. " You forgot something. You're the reason I'm happy." he said, kissing her softly.

Aria kissed him back and smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too."

**LATER:**

Aria had fallen asleep in Ezra arms. Ezra listened to her even breathes, and could feel her chest rising and falling. Even though she was really weak, she was still the most beautiful woman Ezra had ever seen.

Ezra started to think of the plan for that night. He, Emily and Spencer were going to stay in the waiting room, pretending to be asleep so that A would think the coast was clear, and the three of them would be close to Aria, to make sure she stayed safe. Meanwhile, Caleb and Hanna would be at Caleb's house, which was about five minutes away, watching all the camera's and waiting for A to show up, so they could alert Ezra through an earpiece. It sounded like a foolproof plan, but Ezra couldn't help but worry about Aria's safety. They were using a girl who could barely sit up as bait for a killer. He knew he couldn't back out if he wanted to catch A and keep Aria safe in the future, so he was willing to go along, for Aria's sake. Now all he had to do was wait till night.

**Special thanks to Ayoungnovelist for helping me out with this chapter! :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Sorry this chapter is so short. Next chapter will be longer, I promise. Enjoy! Don't forget to review! :)**

Chapter 18:

A figure, wearing a black hoodie walked around the hospital, going to Aria's room. He could see Ezra, Spencer and Emily in the waiting room, the two girls asleep on either of Ezra's shoulders. Ezra appeared to be asleep as well.

Slowly, the figure walked towards Aria room and opened the door.

**Aria:**

Aria knew there was someone else in the room. She knew who it was too. She had been waiting, pretending to be asleep, knowing that A would come back to inflict more pain on her.

She heard A rummaging through a bag, and put something down on the table. She had her phone under her blanket, a text to Ezra already typed, telling him A was there. She hit send, and tried to keep her breathing even as she pretended to sleep.

**Ezra:**

I felt my cell phone vibrate in my pocket. I looked at the caller I.D. It was from Aria.

_"SOS. A is in my room."_

At that moment, Caleb's voice came into Ezra's earpiece. "A's in Aria's room. Get moving."

**Aria:**

Aria stared at the door with one eye slightly open. She saw a shadow emerging in the doorway, but the person quickly passed. Just another nurse. Aria tried to suppress a sigh. Then she saw another shadow. This one was slowly entering her room, trying to sneak up on A. It was Ezra.

**Ezra:**

Ezra was sneaking up behind A, getting ready to grab him/her. He was almost right behind A when his shoes squeaked. A turned around and Ezra lunged.

**Aria:**

I saw Ezra tackling a surprised A to the ground, and I quickly reached for the light. The room was suddenly illuminated and Ezra yanked off the hoodie.

I stared in disbelief. The person standing before me was none other than Mike Montgomery, my little brother.

**WHAT?! Didn't see that coming. But it's not over yet! Next chapter should be up by tomorrow or the day after :) Don't forget to review!**

**P.S: I've also started a new story called Broken-Hearted Girl. It's starts with some Wesria but Ezria is a big part of it. Check it out and let me know what you think: **

** s/9044454/1/Broken-Hearted-Girl**


	19. Chapter 19

**Last chapter left you with a plot twist. I know, I know, I'm cruel for making you wait. But hopefully, it was worth it. Enjoy the chapter! Don't forget to review :)**

Chapter 19:

"MIKE?!" Aria stared at her brother in a mix of shock, anger, betrayal and about a million other emotions.

"You're A?" I said, disbelief evident in my voice.

"Who? What the hell just happened here?" Mike asked, angry and confused.

"How could you?" Aria whispered.

"How could I what?" Mike asked, impatiently.

"I can't even believe this! My own brother would do so much to us, and to my friends." Aria said, turning to Ezra and then glaring at Mike again.

"Can one of you quit glaring at me and tell me WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" Mike shrieked.

"Don't play dumb, Mike! How stupid do you think we are?" Aria said, harshly. "How could you do this? I mean, you kidnap me, beat me and keep me in a freezing cold room. Then you come to the hospital and poison my IV drip. I CAN'T EVEN LOOK AT YOU RIGHT NOW!" Aria said, bursting into tears.

Ezra stepped towards her and put his arms protectively around her. Mike glared at him. "Can YOU tell me what she's talking about?"

Ezra looked at Mike, seeing the expression on his face. He looked confused, upset, and a little bit angry. "Mike, what are you doing here?"

"I came back from my vacation early because my parents and I were worried about Aria so I told them I would come back and take care of her, convincing them to stay. I just got in an hour ago, and came here, stopping to get some flowers." Mike pointed to the table, where a bouquet of tulips sat.

Ezra looked at Aria, who was looking between Mike and Ezra, the colour draining from her face. "You mean...you were just here, checking up on me?" she whispered.

"Yeah. Why did you tackle me? And who's A? And what do you mean, someone kidnapped you and poisoned you?" Mike asked, looking between Aria and Ezra, fear and confusion on his face.

Aria put her head in her hands, not believing what had just happened. She had just made her boyfriend attack her little brother, and she had just exposed her biggest secret to him. She looked up at Ezra, who was staring at her, waiting to see if she would permit him to explain. Reluctantly, she nodded her head.

Ezra hesitated for a moment, then said, "Maybe we should get the girls and Caleb in here. They're part of this too."

Aria nodded and grabbed her phone, texting the others to meet in her room. Mike sat down, waiting to be told a story that would change him forever.

**LATER:**

The girls and Caleb arrived, and Aria started the story, everyone taking turns jumping in every now and then, leaving out some details. They decided not to tell him everything, but just enough for him to understand. Mike remained mostly quiet, or stopping to ask a question or a gasp here and there.

"Wow. So this has been going on for over a year? Why didn't you tell me? I could have protected you!" Mike said, not exactly angry at his sister, but more at himself for not realizing something was wrong.

"Mike, we couldn't. If I told you, you'd be in danger. I still don't think it was right that we tell you now, but I didn't really have much of a choice." Aria said, sadly.

"Why didn't you call the police and have A arrested?" he asked them.

"A threatened to frame us for killing Ali if we went to the police." Hanna explained.

"What about mom and dad? Do they have any idea of what's going on?" Mike asked Aria.

"NO! And you can't tell them, no matter what. Got it?" Aria said, staring at her brother.

Mike hesitated.

"I mean it, Mike! If you say anything to anyone, I won't tell you anything else about A, and I will NEVER speak to you EVER again. A's probably already mad at me for telling you, and we all know what A's capable of, especially when they're angry."

Mike sighed, and nodded his head. "Okay, I won't say a word. But on one condition. You have to let me help you catch them."

This time Aria hesitated. She looked at the girls who were waiting for her to respond. They all had a look on their faces stating that it was her call since Mike was her brother. After a few moments of silence, she slowly nodded her head. "Okay, fine. You can help us, but don't do anything stupid that'll get you in danger."

"I won't." Mike said, and gave Aria a hug. She was so grateful to have a brother like him.

**By the way, I got a ton of reviews these past few days and they were all really nice. So thank you to all of you, and I hope you like the rest of my story :)**

**P.S: Any suggestions for future chapter, feel free to PM me or leave your ideas in the reviews**


	20. Chapter 20

**Enjoy the chapter. Don't forget to review! :)**

Chapter 20:

"Which one?" Hanna asked the girls, showing them two pictures with beautiful dresses in each. The girls were sitting around Aria's hospital bed, helping Hanna decided what to wear for her one year anniversary with Caleb.

"The blue one." Aria said, just as Spencer said "The yellow one."

"Okay, Em, it looks like you're the tie-breaker." Hanna said, but Emily didn't seem to hear her. She was staring out the window, lost in thought.

"Earth to Emily!" Hanna said, waving her arms in front of Emily's face.

"Huh? What? Sorry" Emily stammered.

"Everything okay, Em? You haven't said much since you got here." Aria asked, looking closely at her friend.

"Yeah, I guess...okay, no. There's something I wanted to say to you, but I'm not sure how you'll take it. And I just want you to know that I'm not trying to offend you or imply anything-" Emily rambled until Aria cut her off.

"Don't worry, Em. You can tell me anything." Aria smiled, reassuringly.

"Well...ok I was just thinking..." Emily took a deep breath before continuing. " Mike came here yesterday, wearing a black hoodie, after visiting hours, when nobody was allowed to see you. I'm not trying to say that he's A but it seems kinda...suspicious."

Aria just stared at her. "Are you seriously thinking that Mike is A? I mean, he's my little brother! He would never lock me in a freezing room and hit me to the point where I'd be sent to a hospital. Not to mention, A also poisoned me while I was here. Don't you think that's kinda...impossible. Plus, he was on vacation with my parents."

"I know, I know. I just couldn't get it out of my head. I don't want to think he's A, but it just seems like a really big coincidence." Emily said, defensively.

"Actually, I was kinda thinking the same thing..."Spencer piped up, and Hanna nodded.

"Guys, Mike isn't A. He'd never hurt me!" Aria defended her brother.

"Look, Aria, we know that you love him. We just don't know if telling him everything about A is a good idea is all." Hanna said, carefully.

Aria sighed. "I don't like lying to him, but if all of you are suspicious, then I guess I shouldn't tell him everything. But I have to tell him some things, or else he'll get suspicious. Okay?"

"Absolutely." Spencer nodded. Emily and Hanna agreed as well.

**LATER:**

It was dark outside, and Aria was asleep in her hospital room. A hooded figure slowly crept forward and walked up to her bed. They reached into their pocket and pulled out a shiny object. A knife.

A stepped towards Aria's bed, and held the knife up just over her heart. The figure stared down at Aria's peaceful face, and seemed to hesitate for a moment, before tightening their grip on the handle and plunging it into her heart.

A stared at Aria's lifeless form for a moment, and then fell to their knees. When they fell, their hood was removed, revealing a mess of brown hair. The figure looked up, and he had tears in his eyes. It was Mike.

Aria screamed as she woke up from her vivid nightmare. Ezra, who was reading a book in a chair next to Aria's bed, immediately got up.

"What's wrong? Are you in pain? Where does it hurt?" Ezra panicked.

"Nightmare." Aria whispered, still in shock from her dream.

Ezra immediately became calmer, knowing that Aria wasn't in any physical pain. He wasted no time in scooping her into his arms and soothing her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, when she was calmer.

Aria told him about her dream, and about how her friends were suspicious of Mike and she didn't know whether or not she should trust him. She wanted to trust him, but the girls had a point.

When she was finished, Ezra tilted her face up, and wiped her tears. "It's okay. You've been through a lot. Nobody's blaming you if you're suspicious of him. Just don't think about it for a few days and then you can consider it with a fresh mind, okay?"

Aria nodded. Ezra always knew how to make her feel better. This was one of the many reasons why she loved him. She turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips against his.

**LATER:**

"Hey sis!" Mike said cheerfully, as he entered her room, still wearing his lacrosse jersey from practice.

"Hey Mike. How was lacrosse?" Aria said.

"It was okay. I've missed the last five practices so I'm a little out of it, but I'll get back into it soon." Mike replied.

"Yeah. You're a great player." Aria replied, encouragingly.

"So how are you feeling?" Mike asked.

"Better. The nurse actually let me have a sip of Ezra's coffee today, so I guess I'm finally recovering." Aria smiled.

"Wow! You're back on coffee, you MUST be getting better!" Mike teased. Everyone knew how reliant Aria was on her caffeine.

"Ha ha! You're hillarious." Aria replied, rolling her eyes mockingly.

"I know." Mike replied with a smile. "Anyways, I actually have to get going. I'm meeting some of the guys from the team. They're going to help me catch up. I'll be back tomorrow, after school." Mike said, getting up.

"Okay. Have fun." Aria called, as Mike walked out.

When Mike left, Aria sat there, lost in thought. Something at the back of her mind was nagging at her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

**Okay so I have some questions for all of you:**

**1) What did you think of last night's episode?**

**2) Who do you think Big A is?**

**3) Should I make Malcolm visit Aria?**

**4) Do you think it's time I made Aria go home? I feel like she's been in the hospital for a while...**

**One more thing, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who reviews. I try to respond to everyone (unless you're a guest, in which case I can't.) But I do read each and every review and I try to make my chapters work with everyone's suggestions. So if there's anything you want to see, let me know and I'll see what I can do :)**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21:

Aria opened her eyes and almost screamed. There was a face, inches away from her own, staring at her with big, brown eyes.

"Malcolm! Oh my God, you scared me!" Aria said, picking the little boy up and sitting him on her lap. She was in Ezra's apartment, as the hospital had let her leave the evening before, but telling her she had to stay in bed for at least three more days.

"Sorry!" the little boy giggled. "I missed you." he said, hugging her.

"I missed you too." Aria smiled. Malcolm was the sweetest little boy. Maggie had done an amazing job raising him, he was the most loving little boy she had ever met and as much of a gentleman as Ezra.

"Guess what! Daddy said I can help him take care of you! We even made you breakfast!" Malcolm said, running over to the kitchen table and grabbing a tray. He slowly walked over to her, balancing the tray in his little hands, and handing it to her. The tray had toasted bagel with cream cheese on it and a glass of orange juice.

"Thanks, sweetie! That was so nice of you!" Aria said, ruffling his hair.

"You're welcome! After you finish breakfast, we can play with my toy cars! I brought the pink one just for you!" Malcolm said, eagerly.

"Great! By the way, where is your daddy?" Aria asked, looking around.

"He's taking a shower. He said that when he's done he's going to make me hot chocolate and he's going to make coffee for you." Malcolm said.

"Awesome. Let's eat!" Aria said, breaking her bagel in half and giving the other half to Malcolm. The two of them ate breakfast while they talked about Malcolm's cars.

**LATER:**

Ezra came out of the shower to find the two people he loved the most talking and laughing. He smiled to himself as he watched them talking, totally oblivious to the fact that they were being watched. Finally, Malcolm looked up and noticed his father watching them.

"DADDY! Guess what! Guess what! Guess what!" Malcolm said, running towards his father and jumping up and down.

"What, buddy?" Ezra smiled.

"Aria said she'll play cars with us!" Malcolm said, eagerly.

"Thats great, buddy! But before we play, someone needs to go brush their teeth." Ezra said, laughing when Malcolm groaned. Ezra gave Malcolm a nudge towards the bathroom. When Malcolm sped off, Ezra sat down next to Aria and gave her a kiss. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better. I'm really glad Malcolm's here, I've been so bored lately, especially while you were working, so now I can play with him while you finish up your work." Aria said.

"Oh good, because I wasn't sure if you were ready to see an energetic little boy just yet. You must really be getting better, especially since you haven't had coffee yet." Ezra said, laughing.

"Speaking of coffee..." Aria said, smiling.

"Yes, ma'am!" Ezra saluted her, and went to make her a fresh cup.

"Great! Man, I love having my own personal slave. Later, you can do my laundry, and make my lunch." Aria teased, as Ezra mock glared at her.

"Just wait till you're better missy!" Ezra threatened, playfully.

"Hmm...maybe I should 'accidently' fall down the stairs..." Aria pretended to think about it.

"Oh, you don't need to 'accidently' fall, I could always just 'accidently' push you." Ezra said.

Aria glared at him playfully, and he bent down and kissed her. Aria wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.

"EWW!" They heard a voice behind then, and turned around to see Malcolm, staring at them, grossed out. Aria blushed and Ezra mumbled something about coffee, quickly going into the kitchen, Malcolm following close behind.

**LATER**:

Ezra had taken Malcolm to the park so that Aria could rest for a little while. She lay in her bed, thinking. Something was nagging at the back of her mind, swimming around her thoughts, just out of reach. She decided to call Spencer.

"Hey, Spence. I need your help with something" Aria said, when Spencer picked up.

"Sure, what's up?" Spencer asked.

"Something's been nagging at me and I've been trying to figure out what it is, but I just can't figure it out. It feels like its important but I just don't know what it is." Aria said. Surely Spencer, who was always figuring stuff out, had experienced this before.

"I know the feeling, trust me. Here's what I do. Just try to remember when you first started noticing the feeling and think back to what you were doing before it started. Maybe something you read something, or someone said something, and your brain registered it but it doesn't go with something else you've read or heard." Spencer explained.

"That makes sense...Thanks, Spencer, I'll try it out."Aria said.

After she hung up, Aria sat there, thinking back, remembering the nagging feeling had started when Mike had left her hospital room a few days ago. She thought about everything she said, and suddenly realized something didn't make sense. Hadn't Mike said that he'd missed 5 lacrosse practices? He had been gone for a month and a half, there where two practices per week, so he should have missed 12 practices. Either he was really bad at math, or he had been in Rosewood for longer than he said.

Aria pulled out her phone and dialled her mom's number. Ella answered on the third ring.

"Hey baby, how are you feeling?" Ella asked.

"I'm a lot better, thanks to Ezra and the girls." Aria replied.

"Good, I'm glad they're helping, especially since you and your brother refused to let your father and I come back early." Ella said.

"Actually, I saw Mike a few days ago. He came to visit me in the hospital. When did he get back?" Aria asked, trying to be casual about it.

Ella thought for a moment. "I think he would've gotten back to Rosewood about a little over 3 weeks ago. Why?"

Aria felt the blood drain out of her face, but she kept her voice steady."Oh, no reason. He just seems really busy catching up on school and stuff so I was just wondering how much he'd missed." she lied. "Listen, I have to go. Ezra's going to be back any minute and I promised I would get some rest while he was gone."

"Okay, sweetie. Get well soon! Love you!" Ella said.

"Love you too, mom. Bye!" Aria said, hanging up the phone. She texted her brother:

_We need to talk._

**Hope you liked the chapter! Unfortunately, I'm swamped with homework so I may not be able to update for abt a week. I'll try my best, though :)**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22:

"So what's up?" Mike asked, sitting down on Ezra's couch. He had just arrived after receiving Aria's text.

Aria looked at him, hesitantly. She didn't want to believe it but she was afraid that, if he really was A, he could hurt her for finding out his secret.

"Umm...could you just give me a minute?" Aria said, getting up.

Mike looked at her, confused. "I guess..."

Aria got up and went into the bathroom, sending a quick text to her friends, Ezra and Caleb, telling them to hurry over and that she was with Mike, about to confront him about his lie. Then, she stared into the mirror, reapplying her make-up, trying to delay going back to where Mike was sitting, waiting for her. After a bit, there was a knock on the door.

"Aria, I have to leave, can we do this another time?" Mike asked from outside the door.

"No, I'm coming. Just a minute." With a deep breath, Aria exited the bathroom to where her brother now stood, impatient.

"Are you hungry?" Aria asked, trying to delay her confrontation until her friends, or Ezra arrived.

"No, I'm good."

"How about a drink?"

Mike sighed. "I'll take a coke. Can you please hurry up and tell me why you called me, I have to go out soon." he said, looking at his watch.

"Where?" Aria asked, handing him a can of coke.

"I'm meeting Noel and some of the guys at the Grille in an hour." Mike said, turning around as he heard the door opening.

"Hey, I got your tex-" Ezra stopped when he saw Mike. "Hey Mike, what's going on?"

Mike shrugged. Aria looked at Ezra, relieved. "Hey, I'm so glad you're home." she said, walking over and giving him a kiss.

"Okay, can you guys save that for later?" Mike said, rolling his eyes.

"Sorry. Okay Mike, there's something I need to talk to you about." Aria started.

"Okay..." Mike said, sitting back down on the couch, sipping his coke.

Aria took a deep breath, taking Ezra's hand for support. "I know you lied to me."

Mike stared at Aria, confused. "About what?"

"You've been in Rosewood longer than you said." Aria said, automatically seeing the guilt in Mike's eyes. Most people wouldn't be able to tell, especially because his expression didn't change, but Aria had known him since he was born and knew just about everything about him...well, except for the fact that he could be A.

"What are you talking about? I got back the night I came to see you." Mike stated, as there was a knock on the door. The girls and Caleb walked in, already having been briefed on the situation from Aria's text.

"Mike, don't try to deny it. I know you've been in Rosewood for 3 weeks."

Mike swallowed loudly. "Okay, even if I was, what difference would it make?"

"It makes a huge difference, actually. For starters, it makes me question whether or not I can trust you." Aria said.

Mike hung his head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied to you."

"Why did you lie to me in the first place?" Aria asked.

Mike didn't say anything.

"Mike?"

"I can't tell you." Mike said.

"Why not?" Aria asked.

"It's private." Mike replied, looking down.

Aria paused for a moment, looking at her friends, and then turning back to her little brother. "Mike, what were you doing in my room that night?"

**What do you think Mike's hiding? Leave your guesses in the reviews. :)**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23:

The silence in the room was deafening as everyone waited for Mike to respond, but Mike just sat there, silently.

"Oh my God" Aria said. She felt her knees buckle and would've fallen if Ezra hadn't caught her. He kept his arms around her, keeping her steady as she leaned back against him for support.

Mike continued to stare at the ground, silently.

"How could you?" she whispered. "I'm your SISTER! You betrayed me and you've hurt everyone in this room, all these people that I care about. What the hell is wrong with you?! "

"You want to know what the hell is wrong with me?! YOU! YOU are what's wrong!" Mike exploded. "Ever since you kept that secret about dad and that skank, Meredith, everything feel apart. As if that wasn't enough, YOU had to date your teacher! Mom and dad don't even know I EXIST anymore! It's always "Aria this." or "Aria that". Even on our vacation, mom and dad were always saying "I hope Aria's okay!" or "Oh my poor baby's hurt!" THAT'S why I left early! THAT'S why I came back to Rosewood before mom and dad. THAT'S why I did all this!" Mike was breathing hard, his face red with fury._  
_

Aria turned to her friends. "Guys, could you all please give me a few minutes with Mike?"

Everyone looked hesitant to leave them alone, especially Ezra. The girls and Caleb started to slowly file out of the apartment, but Ezra hesitated for a moment. "Are you sure you're okay by yourself?" he asked, concerned.

Aria leaned up and whispered something into his ear. He nodded and she smiled, putting her hand on his cheek for a moment before gently nudging him towards the door. When she was sure everyone was gone, she turned back to her brother.

"You're right. I have a HUGE part in our family's spiral towards dysfunction. But you know what, Mike. I have a reason for everything you just accused me of. I kept dad's secret because I was afraid. I didn't want to break up our family. I dated my teacher BEFORE I knew he was my teacher, and I'm in love with him. Maybe one day, when you fall in love, you'll understand that. And as for me getting hurt. How could you even say that?! You can't blame ME for getting kidnapped. If anything, I should be blaming you! Now you tell me something. And correct me if I'm wrong. You blackmailed, assaulted, and tormented me and my friends to the point where we feared for our lives because you were _jealous_ that mom and dad pay more attention to me? Give me a break!" Aria said, rolling her eyes.

Mike glared at his sister, silently.

"Now that we've gone through all that, you want to tell me the truth? Because, I'm really getting tired of you trying to cover up whatever it is." Aria said, sitting down next to her brother.

"I'm not covering anything up!" Mike said, defiantly.

Aria raised her eyebrows. "Okay. If you want to continue playing that game then please, show me the phone you use to send me and my friends those texts. If you can show me that, I'll believe you."

Mike fidgeted slightly, avoiding her eyes.

"That's what I thought." Aria said, nodding. Before Mike could see what she was doing, she had plucked his phone from his pocket and ran towards the door.

"Give that back!" he shouted, running after her.

Aria opened the door and ran out. Mike chased after her, but was stopped by two pairs of strong arms. He turned back and saw Ezra and Caleb holding him back.

"Let me go." he said quietly.

"Not a chance." Ezra replied.

"AHA! I KNEW IT!" Aria said, triumphantly, holding up her brother's phone.

Everyone gathered around Aria and looked at the phone.

_"Prey don't hunt hunters unless they want to get hurt. Tag, you're it." _-A

Aria approached Mike and motioned Ezra and Caleb to let him go. She handed him his phone.

"I love you, Mikey!" she said, pulling him in for a hug. "But if you ever lie to me again, even if it's to protect me, I will rip your tongue out and feed it to vultures. Got it?"

Mike laughed as he hugged his sister back. "Sounds like a plan." he replied, grinning.

**Family moment! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Okay, so I am pretty much out of ideas right now so if anyone comes up with ANYTHING at all, even if you think it's dumb, PM or review and let me know. I have the worst case of writer's block EVER right now.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Sorry, for the wait, been really busy. Enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 24:

"I can't. I won't hurt her." Mike said desperately into his phone.

"You talk like you have a choice." the voice on the other end replied, laughing cruelly.

"But she's my sister! She's the most important person in my life!"

"I don't care. If you don't do it, I will." The phone clicked shut. Mike stood in his room for a moment, before throwing his phone at the wall in anger just as Aria walked in. She ducked, just barely missing it.

"What the-?"

"What ever happened to knocking?" Mike said, angrily.

Aria stepped back and raised her hands in surrender. "Sorry, I just needed to borrow your laptop, I forgot mine at Ezra's."

"Whatever, take it." Mike said, handing it to her and looking pointedly at the door.

"Mike, is everything okay?" Aria asked, cautiously.

Mike sighed and considered telling her what was going on but knew that he couldn't. "I'm sorry, I'm just...stressed right school and lacrosse and everything I barely have time to breathe." He felt awful lying to his sister, she was the only one who ever seemed to care about him. But he didn't really have a choice.

Aria put her hand on his shoulder. "If it helps, you can stop babysitting me. I think I'm capable of handling myself for a hour every now and then." she said, rolling her eyes. Mike and Ezra refused to leave her alone ever since she told them about A. She loved them both, and she appreciated their concern but sometimes she needed time for herself.

Mike forced a smile. "Nice try, but you're not getting off that easy."

"Mike, I'm 18. I can take care of myself." Aria said, rolling her eyes again.

"You know, if you keep rolling your eyes, they're going to get stuck that way." Mike laughed, imitating his mom.

Aria punched his shoulder. "It's scary how good you are at doing mom's voice. Anyways, I'm going out with the girls for a bit, I'll see you at dinner."

"Actually, I think I'm going to go out with some friends. I might be home a little late." Mike replied.

"Okay, I'll save you some pasta. Hey, is it cool if I take this with me and give it back to you later?" Aria asked, holding the laptop up.

"Yeah, sure." Mike said, silently willing her to leave.

"Thanks Mike!" Aria replied cheerfully as she walked away, laptop in hand. When he heard the front door close, Mike picked his phone up from the ground and dialed a number.

"Hello?" Ezra answered on the third ring.

"It's Mike. I need to talk to you."

**LATER:**

"So, um, do you want a soda or something?" Ezra said, breaking the awkward silence that had settled between the two boys.

"Um, no I'm good." Mike said, staring at his feet.

"Okay...so what did you want to talk about? Is everything okay?" Ezra asked, getting to the point.

"There's something I need to tell you. But before I do, I need you to promise you won't say a word to Aria." Mike said, looking up at Ezra.

Ezra hesitated. He hated lying to Aria but he knew that Mike wouldn't tell him unless he promised. "Okay, fine. I won't say a word to her."

Mike stared at him for a moment, as though weighing the truth of Ezra's words, and finally spoke. "I know who A is."

Ezra stared at Mike. "What do you mean you know who A is? How long have you known? Why didn't you say anything to anyone? Wait, _how_ do you know?" he

Mike closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to convince himself that he wasn't making a mistake telling Ezra. "I've known for about a week. And I couldn't say anything. If I did, A would've hurt Aria. That's why I came to you. You're the only one that I trust to help me keep this from her. Her friends would have gone straight to her as soon as I told them. Can I trust you?" Mike said, looking at Ezra with a mix of fear and desperation in his eyes.

Ezra nodded. "I won't say a word, not if it puts Aria in danger." he said, staring into Mike's eyes so he'd know he wasn't lying. Mike was so grateful that Aria had someone who cared so much for her and hoped that one day, he'd find a girl who he could do the same for.

"There's one more thing. I need you to swear to me that you won't act without thinking and you have to tell me before you do anything. I need you to be patient, no matter what." Mike said, adding emphasis on the last part.

"I swear I won't do anything before telling you first." Ezra promised.

Mike stared at him a little longer, searching for a hint of hesitation in Ezra's face. He saw none. He took a deep breath, counted to three and stared straight at Ezra as he said "Caleb's A."

**PLOT TWIST! Sorry to everyone who loves Caleb. Don't forget to review, let me know what you think. The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll post the next chapter. :)**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25:

"But he-, How can-, But-" Clearly unable to formulate a proper sentence, Ezra stopped talking.

"I know it's shocking and you probably think I'm insane but think about it. He can do all kinds of tech stuff, he's obviously smart, and I've talked to him. It's really Caleb." Mike said slowly.

Ezra's face turned from shock to fury. "That bastard! When I get a hold of him, I'm going to-"

"No! Whatever it is, no you're not, at least not yet. You just made a promise to me and you better keep it!" Mike said, authoritatively.

"You're right. I'm sorry, I just didn't see that coming." Ezra said, instantly feeling guilty for letting his emotions get the best of him right after he promised he wouldn't do just that.

"It's okay. Now listen, the reason I'm telling you all this is because I need your help. A wants me to get Aria to go to the New Year's Masquerade that the country club holds every year. Caleb's going to make the lights go out and then I'm supposed to put something in her drink that'll make her faint and she'll wake up feeling really sick. And apart from that, he's going to plant drugs in Emily's purse so she gets in trouble with the police. I don't even know what's going to happen to Hanna and Spencer." Mike said, fear in his voice.

"Don't worry, you're not in this alone. I'm going to be there to help you, and we'll take on Caleb together." Ezra said, putting a hand on Mike's shoulder.

Mike smiled gratefully. "Thanks. But I have no idea what to do. We need a way to expose Caleb at the masquerade."

"We'll figure something out." Ezra said, reassuringly. Both men froze when they heard the apartment door opening.

"Hey babe-" Aria walked in carrying two cups of coffee. She stopped, staring when she saw her little brother. "Hey Mike...what are you doing here?"

Mike looked at Ezra for a moment, panicked. "I was just...uh..."

"Mike called me because he...um...needed help with an English assignment and you weren't home so..." Ezra said, trying to cover up for Mike.

"Okay..." Aria looked skeptical. She knew Ezra was lying but she figured her brother was embarrassed about something that he needed to talk to a guy about. Either way, she was happy they were getting along well. "So, what are you working on?" she asked, sitting down next to Ezra.

The two men looked between each other. "Oh, we're finished. I was just leaving." Mike said, getting up quickly. "Thanks for your help."

Ezra smiled. "Yeah, no problem. Let me know how it goes."

"Yeah, uh, bye." Mike said awkwardly as he let himself out.

When Mike left, Aria looked at Ezra, eyebrows raised. "So...what was his "assignment" on?"

"Oh, um, he was just, um...working on this essay for, um, To Kill a Mockingbird. And he didn't want to bother you while you were out with the girls so he texted me, asking if I could help him with it." Ezra said, cursing himself for being such a bad liar.

"That's funny, he told me he was reading the Great Gatsby for English class." Aria said.

Ezra smiled uncomfortable. "Oh, did I say To Kill A Mockingbird? I meant the Great Gatsby. I just, I really like both of those books so I must have gotten them confused." he said, smacking his forehead. "Anyway, do you want something to eat? I was just about to get some dinner."

Aria shook her head. "No, I told Mike I'd be home for dinner. I was just dropping by on my way home...Ezra?"

"Yeah?"

"Is everything okay?" Aria asked, looking into his eyes.

Ezra paused for a moment. He really wished he could tell her, but he owed it to Mike to keep the secret. He had made a promise and he intended to keep it. "Yeah, everything great." he said, holding his breath, silently willing her to believe him.

Aria stared at him a little while longer and finally decided to just drop it. "Okay."

Ezra was grateful that she'd dropped it, but he knew he shouldn't just leave it at that. She knew he was lying and he had to come up with a cover-up, and fast. He felt a vibration in his pocket.

"One sec." he said to Aria as he read the text. It was from Mike.

_"Just tell her it was a guy thing that I made you promise not to talk about because I'm embarrassed. She's probably thinking it anyway."_

Ezra silently thanked him. He turned to Aria. "Okay, I know you don't believe me and you're right. I'm the worst liar in the world."

"So why did he come here?" she asked.

Ezra hesitated slightly and looked uncomfortable, careful not to over-do it. "He needed to talk to someone about...guy stuff, and he was afraid his friends would make fun of him, and he thought you'd be with your friends all day so he came here."

"Oh. Sorry, I shouldn't be so suspicious, I've just been kind of jumpy, with everyone thinking he was A and all, it was just really weird. I'm sorry." Aria said, sincerely.

"It's okay, you're just worried for him. It's adorable how much you care about him." Ezra smiled as he moved a stray lock of hair out of her eyes.

Aria tilted her head up and kissed him. "Thank you for looking out for Mike. It's really sweet of you."

"He's practically family for me." Ezra said, leaning in to kiss her again.

"How did I end up with someone as amazing as you?" Aria asked, staring up at him as she rest her head against his chin.

Ezra chuckled. "I ask myself the same about you everyday." he said, wrapping his strong arms around her tiny body.

**Aww, gotta love the Ezria moments. I hope we have more of them in the show, we've barely seen them happy this season. Any guesses on Red Coat? Don't forget to review! :)**

**Btw, I'm stuck on how I want them to expose Caleb, so if you have any idea, even if you think they're dumb, LET ME KNOW! I'll credit you in the AN's and I'd be really grateful. I'm totally stuck. **

**One more thing, I really wanted to thank everyone that reviews or PMs because you honestly make my day! So thank you to all of you!**

**PS. HAPPY PLL SEASON FINALE DAY! :)**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26:

"Ezra, the masquerade is tomorrow, and we still don't have a plan." Mike panicked. The boys were sitting in Ezra's apartment after Mike had made sure Aria was going to be busy all day. She was in Philadelphia with her friends for the day, shopping for the masquerade.

"I know, I'm thinking. Every plan I come up with has something wrong with it." Ezra said, running his hands through his hair, frustrated.

"Well, what did you come up with?" Mike asked.

"Well, I thought about it and I'm thinking we need to tell the girls. Because, we need their help with this." Ezra said.

Mike sighed. "I really don't want them involved..."

"Think about it. Because, here's what I was thinking. Instead of you putting something in Aria's drink like A wants, you can pretend and she'll act sick. And then, we can make sure Emily keeps her purse with her at all times if we tell her that A is planning to plant the drugs. As for Hanna and Spencer, we'll just have to keep a really close eye on them. But, as for exposing Caleb, I'm not quite sure what to do..." Ezra said.

"Hmm, maybe you're right about telling the girls. Only, I'm not so sure how Hanna will take it. We're going to have to give her some time to take it all in, but we don't have much time." Mike said.

"Well, we can't just keep her in the dark. Besides, knowing Hanna, she'll probably want payback." Ezra replied.

"Okay fine. We'll tell them." Mike said, taking out his phone. He texted the girls to meet at Ezra's apartment ASAP and they waited for them to arrive.

"Wait a second, what if Caleb knows what we're doing?" Ezra asked.

"He doesn't. I messed with his computer and disabled all of the cameras that are here. He thinks that I'm here planting new ones." Mike said, smiling.

"Nice!" Ezra said, giving him a high five.

**LATER:**

Ezra and Mike stood up as the apartment door opened, revealing Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer.

"What's going on?" Aria asked, walking over to the two boys, her friends right behind her.

Mike looked uneasily at Ezra. Ezra nodded encouragingly and Mike started. "We have to tell you girls something. I think you should all sit down." he started.

The four girls took a seat and waited for Mike to continue.

"We know who A is." Mike blurted out.

Everything was silent in the apartment as the girls' expressions went from confused and worried, to shock. "Who?" Spencer asked, automatically.

Mike looked at Hanna, then down at his shoes, then up at Ezra. Taking the hint, Ezra spoke up. "It's...Caleb." he said, his eyes focused on Hanna.

Aria, Spencer and Emily gasped and then looked straight at Hanna.

"No, that can't be right." Emily started.

"Yeah, Caleb's our friend. He's helped us." Aria said firmly.

Hanna sat there, tears streaming down her face. "He's right." she whispered.

"WHAT?!" Everyone said, looking at Hanna.

"He's A." Hanna said louder. "I didn't want to believe it, but when Aria got kidnapped, me and Emily were here, with Caleb and he was working on his computer. Only, when I looked at him, he kept changing the screen. And then I saw he was messaging someone and it was all cryptic but it made me suspicious." Hanna said, sobbing.

The girls all wrapped her in a hug, soothing her.

"Wait, why didn't you say anything?" Spencer asked.

"I guess I just didn't want to find out the truth." Hanna said, sadly. "I'm sorry you guys. I should have told you."

"It's okay." Emily said.

"Yeah, we totally get it." Aria said, rubbing Hanna's back in an effort to soothe her.

"Uhhh, guys?" Mike said.

The girls turned back to him and Ezra.

"We're not done. There's more." Ezra said. The girls looked really upset and he didn't want to make things worse but he knew he and Mike had to tell them.

There was a chorus of sighs from the girls.

"Caleb's been making me help him." Mike admitted.

Aria stared at him in shock. "Oh my God. How could you?" she said, closing her eyes, trying to take this piece of information in.

Mike was about to speak but Ezra went over to her and sat beside her, pulling her into his arms. " It's okay, he's on our side." he said, pulling her into his chest. He nodded at Mike to continue.

"Caleb's planning something for the masquerade tomorrow. He want me to drug you..." he said, pointing to Aria, who closed her eyes, trying not to get mad at her little brother. "and he's going to hide drugs in your purse and then give the police an anonymous tip." he said, gesturing to Emily, who gasped.

"What about us?" Hanna asked, gesturing to herself and Spencer.

"I don't know. He only tells me what I'm supposed to do. I don't have a clue as to what he's planned for you." Mike said, apologetically.

"We need a plan." Spencer said automatically.

"Well, that's what we're working on." Mike said, gesturing between himself and Ezra. "We've only got some of it figured out though." he said, motioning for Ezra to explain their plan.

Ezra got up for his place beside Aria and went to stand next to Mike. "Okay well, here's what we have so far." He turned to look at Aria. "Mike's going to pretend to drug your drink and you're going to have to pretend to faint and then get sick when you wake up. Can you handle that?"

Aria nodded. "Yeah, I can do that."

Ezra smiled. "Okay great. And Emily, we need you to keep your bag with you at ALL times. Don't let it out of your sight. Okay?"

"I'll guard it with my life." she promised.

"Great!" Ezra said, and then his eyes lit up. "Oh my God, I think I've just figured out how we're going to catch him!" he said, excitedly and started to explain his plan.

**What's Ezra thinking? How will they catch Caleb? Leave your ideas in the reviews. :)**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27:**

"Are you ready for this?" Ezra asked, squeezing Aria's hand as they approached the masquerade.

Aria took a deep breath and nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this."

Ezra smiled as he led Aria inside, immediately spotting Spencer and approaching her. "Hanna and Caleb?" he asked.

"Hanna's in the bathroom with Emily, I saw Caleb walking up with Mike." Spencer said, pointing to a spiral staircase.

"Perfect. Let's get this party started." Ezra said with a smile. Everything was going according to plan.

Hanna and Emily approached the group then, complimenting each other's outfits and hair, acting completely natural. After a bit, Caleb came down to join them, Mike nowhere to be seen.

"Care to dance?" Caleb asked Hanna, taking her hands.

Hanna giggled. "Sure." she said, winking at her friends before allowing Caleb to lead her to the dance floor.

Ezra looked at Spencer. "Are you ready?" he asked.

Spencer nodded. "I'm a Hastings, remember." she said, with a laugh.

Aria and Ezra laughed as the song changed to a slower number. Ezra turned to his girlfriend. "May I have this dance?"

Aria smiled. "I'd love to." she said, wrapping her arms around his neck as his hands drifted slowly to her waist, their bodies swaying in time with the music.

Aria felt her phone vibrate. "One sec." she said, quickly reading the text from Mike. "5 minutes" she whispered in Ezra's ear, who nodded. The song ended and the couple left the dance floor, going to sit with Spencer and Emily. They watched as Caleb whispered something in Hanna's ear and walked away, Hanna approaching the table.

"Where did he say he was going?" Spencer asked.

"He claims he forgot something in his car." Hanna replied, rolling her eyes as she took a seat between Emily and Spencer. A moment later, she started rummaging in her purse, a signal for Ezra.

"I'm going to grab us all some punch." he said, planting a quick kiss on Aria's cheek, who smiled at him and nodded. He went to the table, returning a moment later with two cups of punch. He gave one to Aria, before offering the other to Hanna and going to grab several more cups for the rest of them. When he left, the lights went out, right on schedule. He heard several people scream as well as people shouting in confusion before the lights came back on a moment later. Volunteers were walking around trying to calm the guests, who seemed to settle down when the music started up again. As Ezra walked back to the table, balancing three cups, he saw Aria pretending to take a sip of her punch.

"Ezra? I don't feel so good." Aria said, standing up dizzily.

"What's wrong?" Ezra asked, grabbing her arms to catch her just as she fainted. Ezra wanted to kiss her for her amazing acting, but that clearly wouldn't be the right thing to do right now. Instead, he tried to lie Aria down gently on the floor, supporting her head, with the help of the girls and several on-lookers crowding around her. Someone grabbed some water and started to gently spray some drops on Aria, who moaned, stirring slightly before her eyes opened.

"W-What? What's going on?" she asked, looking at the crowd of people.

Ezra sighed in relief. "You just fainted. Are you okay?"

"My head kills. Can you take me home?" Aria asked.

"Of course, sweetie. Let's go." Ezra gently lifted Aria up, carrying her outside. The girls followed them to the parking lot.

"I'll go with you guys, just to make sure Aria's safe." Hanna said. She turned to Emily and Spencer.

The girls nodded and went back inside after telling Aria to get lots of rest and promising to call her later. Ezra placed Aria in the backseat so she was lying down, her head in Hanna's lap as Ezra drove out of the parking lot. They stopped in a mini forest a few minutes walk from the masquerade. Aria and Ezra got out of the car, giving Hanna some privacy to change into her second outfit of the night.

"You were amazing. I knew you were faking and I still almost fell for it." Ezra said, amazed.

"What can I say, I'm a natural actress." Aria replied with a wink. She felt a vibration in her pocket, alerting her that her brother had texted.

_"Upstairs, second room on the right."_

"Okay, we've got our location." she said, showing the text to Ezra, just as Hanna go out of the car in a flowing red dress and a red mask with black designs. Aria and Ezra quickly took turns changing before the three of them went back to the masquerade, unrecognizable. They started in the direction of the masquerade. As they approached the entrance, Aria sent a text to Mike.

_"We're at the door. Whenever you're ready."_

A moment later the lights turned off and the three of them went inside and quickly navigated the stairs, climbing up and standing outside the door Mike had indicated. A moment passed, and the lights turned back on. Ezra looked at Hanna and Aria, who both nodded. He quietly turned the knob and opened the door. The girls followed closely behind him and they looked around. The room was empty.

"Where's Mike and Cal-" Ezra started to say but was cut off by the sound of the door closing. The three of them twirled around. Hanna gasped. Aria screamed.

Standing before them was Caleb, holding a gun to Mike's head.

**Oh snap! What's going to happen next? Don't forget to review :)**

**One quick thing. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who sends comments/suggestions. I read all of them and I respond to as many as I can. Thanks for all the love and support. :)**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28:

"Oh my God! Mike!" Aria gasped.

"Aria!" Mike sobbed, his face wet with tears, his eyes filled with terror and Aria took a step towards him.

"Don't move!" Caleb said menacingly, pressing the gun harder against Mike's head. Aria stopped dead, tears spilling over her face. She looked helplessly at her brother, her face as white as a sheet. Ezra took a step towards his crying girlfriend, but Caleb pointed the gun at him, his arm still tight around Mike's neck.

"Take another step and I'll shoot you." Caleb threatened.

Ezra hesitated and stopped. He was only a few steps away from Aria and he had absolutely no idea what to do.

Caleb pointed the gun back at Mike, and looked behind Ezra, at Hanna, who was staring at him with a mix of anger, sadness and disbelief on her face. "How could you?" she asked, her voice cracking.

Caleb laughed. "How could I?! You have no idea what you girls have done to me, especially that bitch Allison." he spat.

Aria and Hanna looked at each other for a moment, confused. "What did we do to you?" Aria asked, trying to contain herself.

"Your dear friend Allison ruined my family! She's the reason my parents divorced, the reason I had to run away from home. She's the reason my sister is blind!" Caleb shouted.

The colour drained from both girls faces as they stared at each other, wide-eyed as they put two and two together. Both were thinking the same thing. How had they not figured it out before?

"Jenna." Aria whispered.

"Yeah, Jenna! That bitch Allison blinded her the weekend before I was supposed to move to Rosewood, and you knew all about it but didn't say a word to the cops. You let my step-brother get charged with it. Do you even know what he had to go through because of you? Our parents hated him, couldn't even look at him. They wanted to disown him, and they argued about it all the time. That's why they got divorced. YOU RUINED MY FAMILY!" Caleb shouted angrily, making Mike flinch as the gun pressed harder against his skin.

"So this entire time you've been pretending to love me, you've really been scheming ways to ruin my life?" Hanna asked, her voice cracking slightly as she tried to hold back her tears.

"You deserve nothing less. You ruined my life, I ruined yours." Caleb said simply.

"Caleb." Aria spoke calmly. "Put the gun down and we can talk about this." she said, holding her hands up so he could watch her as she started to walk towards him.

When she stepped forward, Caleb pointed the gun in her direction, pulling the trigger.

Aria screamed, Ezra and Hanna rushing to her side. The bullet had just barely missed her.

"DON'T MOVE!" Caleb shouted. "That was just a warning. Take another step towards me and I'll actually shoot you." he threatened. keeping the gun trained at Aria, who whimpered softly.

Ezra looked at Aria, then at the gun, trying to think fast. He looked at Mike, who stared at him, wide-eyed. He seemed to be trying to say something. He looked down with his eyes, and lifted his foot slightly. Ezra nodded ever so slightly to show that he understood.

"Caleb, wait." Ezra said. "We can settle this without guns. Please, let's just talk about this." he reasoned, trying to distract Caleb.

Caleb turned to him and the next few seconds were a blur as Mike stomped on Caleb's toe, catching the boy by surprise. As he let out a cry of shock and pain, Mike grabbed his wrist and forced the gun out of his hand. It hit the floor as Mike wrestled Caleb to the ground. Ezra rushed forward and grabbed the gun a split-second before Caleb's hand could reach it. He stood up and pointed the gun at Caleb, who was pinning Mike to the ground.

"Get off him and lie down on your stomach or I'll shoot." Ezra said calmly.

Caleb stared at him for a moment, hesitating.

"If you try anything I won't hesitate to pull the trigger." Ezra said, staring Caleb straight in the eyes.

Caleb slowly got up off of Mike and lay down on the floor. "You won't get away with this." he said angrily.

"Coming from the guy who's lying on the floor." Hanna said, rolling her eyes.

Aria walked over to Mike, helping him up off the floor. "You okay?" she asked, examining him for cuts or bruises.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks to Ezra." Mike said, smiling appreciatively at him.

"It was your idea." Ezra replied, smiling back.

"I love you both." Aria said to both of them.

"I hate to interrupt the love-fest but we have a situation here." Hanna cut it.

"Right." Mike said. "What do we do with him?"

Ezra stepped forward so he was standing in front of Caleb. "On your knees, now." he commanded.

Caleb obediently sat on his knees, trying not to look at the gun pointed at him. With one swift movement, Ezra hit Caleb with the back of the gun, knocking him out.

***PLL***

****Caleb awoke to see Aria, Ezra, Hanna, Mike, Spencer and Emily standing in front of him. He was tied to a chair.

"He's awake." Hanna said and the others gathered around.

"What the hell!" Caleb said, angrily, trying to break free of the ropes.

Hanna stepped forward and crouched down so she was level with him. She stared at him for a moment before her hand came up and she slapped him. Hard.

"OW!" Caleb shrieked.

"That's for messing with me and my friends. You're lucky that's all I'm doing to you." Hanna said angrily.

"So what are you guys going to do to me?" Caleb asked.

"The police should be here any minute." Aria said, checking her watch. As if on cue, the police arrived. They listened to everyone's sides of the story before taking Caleb away in handcuffs. Before he left, he mumbled something in Hanna's ear.

"What did he say?" Emily asked, as everyone looked at Hanna curiously.

Hanna took a deep breath. "He said that he'll be back. And that he will get revenge for Jenna."

Spencer, Emily and Aria pulled Hanna into a hug, assuring her that everything would be okay, that Caleb was going to jail for who knows how long. Somewhere through all of this they all started to cry and they held each other, sobbing. They couldn't believe It was finally over.

**WAIT! There's still one more chapter left. Don't forget to review. Sorry if you didn't like the chapter, this way one of the hardest ones to write, but I hope you liked it!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Okay, so this is the last chapter. BUT I'm going to be starting another story called "Accidents Happen." It's also an Ezria story and I will be posting it today or tomorrow so check it out :)**

Chapter 29:

Aria sat up in bed, careful not to wake Ezra. It had been three days since Caleb was arrested and she still couldn't sleep. She sighed and got up, trying to be as quiet as possible. She grabbed her phone from the night table and texted Spencer.

_You awake? -A.M._

Spencer texted back almost immediately.

_The nightmares won't stop. Emily and Hanna are sleeping over and Hanna's crying in her sleep. -S.H._

Aria's heart went out to Hanna. She had it the worst. Finding out the boy she loved was A, and not even really having much time to deal with it. Aria couldn't even begin to imagine what she'd have gone through if she'd been in Hanna's place. Her friend was really strong.

_Make her some green tea and a peanut butter sandwich and then wake her up. For some weird reason, they usually help her calm down and sometimes get rid of the nightmares. She said that's what she used to do after her dad -A.M._

Aria knew that it would take more than a sandwich and some tea to help her friend but it was all she could really do.

_Kk. Thanks, I'll get started. Is Ezra awake? -S.H._

Aria looked at Ezra's peaceful face, and listened to his soft snoring, which seemed oddly soothing.

_No, he's sleeping. I'm jealous. -A.M._

_Sigh. Me too. I'm gonna go wake Hanna up, I can hear her crying from my kitchen. Wish me luck. xo -S.H_

_Good luck! Send her my love. Night! 3 -A.M_

After her talk with Spencer, Aria stood in front of the window, thinking about Hanna, Caleb, the masquerade, everything. She was so lost in thought she didn't notice Ezra standing behind her until he spoke.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Aria shook her head.

Ezra pulled her gently into his arms. "Don't worry. The nightmares will stop one day. And until then, just remember that I'm always here for you. And you can always wake me up no matter what time it is, I'll always be right here." Ezra said, soothingly.

Aria smiled up at him. "Thank you. I honestly don't know what I would do if I didn't have you." she said, leaning up to kiss him softly.

"You'll never find out because I'm not going anywhere." Ezra promised. "How about we watch movies until you're tired?" he asked, trying to cheer her up.

Aria hesitated. "Are you sure? It's 4:30 in the morning, and I really don't want you to have to lose sleep because of me."

"I'm not sleeping until you do." Ezra said, firmly.

Aria smiled gratefully. She had been hoping he'd say that. The thought of staying up alone didn't appeal to her very much. "Okay, let's watch movies."

Ezra turned on the tv and sat down on the couch, Aria's head against his chest, and his strong arms wrapped around her petite frame. They sat there like this for hours, Aria listening to Ezra's deep breathing as he fell asleep during the movie, his chin rested on her head. In that moment she truly felt safe and believed that everything would be okay. She allowed Ezra's rhythmic breathing to lull her into a deep, dreamless sleep.

**Okay, so that's the end of my very first fanfiction! Thank you to EVERYONE who read this story, everyone who reviewed, everyone who gave me feedback. You have all helped me become more confident as a writer, and I hope you all liked the end of this story. Please review, I really want to know what everyone thought of the story, and I would love to hear everyone's feedback. One more thing, I'm going to be starting another story called "Accidents Happen" (shoutout to Brennan'Ezria Lover who gave me the idea for this story). It's also an Ezria story and I just posted the first chapter so take a look and hope you all like it! :)**


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